Recently, I have found my time management skills slipping out of my grasp, which was a new issue for me. I have always taken pride in how I manage my time, allowing work, school, and personal life to all have their separate sections of my life. However, the past few months have been overly scheduled, and it was all from my doing. It feels like everything has been piling up at once—work demands, school deadlines, and social obligations. It is like juggling too many balls at once and slowly starting to drop a few. Here are a few ways I have learned to manage my time better, allowing myself to not only be productive but also manage my stress more effectively.

I currently attend school full-time, and that is at the top of my priority list. I have always been on top of assignments, completing those days if not weeks ahead of time. It was a sense of pride for me to be ahead of the game. Recently, it has been more like hours if not minutes ahead. Procrastination has sneaked in more often, leaving me stressed at the last minute. To tackle this, I created myself a “school schedule.” Many of my classes are online, so I decided to set aside 12 hours per week on my calendar to either sit in the library, coffee shop, or my office to focus on schoolwork. By having set hours aside for my studies, I was able to plan less important events around my schoolwork, cutting the stress of completing assignments on time. Now that I know exactly when I will be tackling my homework, I feel more in control and less anxious about deadlines creeping up on me.

Work comes second to school for me, yet it seemed like it was taking up all my time. Aside from being a Pearson Campus Ambassador, I also have an in-person job in my local area. My work schedule fluctuates heavily, which leads to a lot of stress when it comes to planning around it. I would find myself scrambling to balance everything, unsure of where to fit in personal time or activities I enjoy. However, by changing my mindset around work, I was able to manage my time better. I decided to put my work schedule into my calendar and open areas around it for time to do things that helped me, like walking, running, cooking, and journaling. Please, I even put in “getting coffee with so-and-so" in my calendar if I made coffee plans with a friend. The key was realizing that my personal time matters just as much as my professional one. By having everything laid out in front of me, I could easily plan things around work and school, leading to less chaos and more balance.

Lastly, I learned the value of saying no. I am very much a people pleaser, but I need to value myself and my time, as well. I found myself constantly agreeing with events or tasks, even when I was already stretched thin. If I had a good bit of prior commitments for the week and a friend asked if I could tag along for something, I would say no but suggest something else on another day. I love hanging out with my friends as it is a great stress reliever in my life, but once it begins to cause my stress, it needs to be changed. By simply saying “no, but” I took control over my personal time, allowing myself to keep company with myself more often, which has helped me. It is a practice in self-care, and the more I do it, the easier it becomes to balance my obligations without feeling overwhelmed.

In summary, managing time is an ongoing challenge, but by creating schedules, prioritizing tasks, and setting boundaries, I have learned to manage both my workload and my stress more effectively. Whether it is carving out dedicated study time, organizing work commitments, or giving myself permission to say "no," each step has contributed to a better balance in my life. It is all about being mindful of where I spend my time and ensuring I am taking care of myself along the way. Time management is not checking off tasks—it is about creating space for what really matters.

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