Grades, sleep and a social life. So the saying goes, you can only have two. Sometimes it feels like you can only have one. But what if there’s a way to balance all three without a sacrifice?
That would be called “time efficiency,” a skill Creighton University graduate Robert Berry mastered during his time in college. He mastered it so much so, he went on to spread his knowledge through his booklet "The Slacker’s Guide to Undergrad."Inspired by Tim Ferris’s time efficiency book, "4-Hour Workweek," Berry’s booklet takes about 30 minutes to read and was written especially for the college crowd.
“One thing I got better at as I went through college was getting through my academic workload time efficiently so I could pursue other interests,” Berry said.
One of Berry’s most emphasized points in his booklet: professors. Those of us with at least a semester or more of college experience under our belts have learned the wrath of poor choice in professors. It is worth it to take some time to research your classes and professors and form a decent schedule.
But the process doesn’t end at choosing your professors. Instead of a “one-semester-experience” with a professor, as Berry says, create a lasting relationship with your professors.
Creating that relationship isn’t just important for your time in college.
“Talking to professors allows you to gain a personal connection with them, and you can use them for references or networking later,” Berry explains.
In his own college experience, Berry was met with professors who were very willing to help.
Another one of Berry’s important tips is about how students can use their class time to really focus on the PowerPoint presentation. Almost every teacher uses them nowadays and many post them online, in ASU’s case, to Blackboard.
In his booklet, Robert talks about using class time for courses of lesser importance for your degree to really study those slides instead of trying to write down every word your professor is saying. Later you’ll be able to devote time to some of your more difficult courses and be done with your workload earlier.
Art History junior Bryan Gottman says one of his more difficult time management tasks is “finding a balance between work and classes.” Many students can definitely relate to his struggle, which is why taking time to plan out a strategy for each of your classes is exceedingly important.
One last important tip is scheduling out assignments, especially the big ones.
Biochemistry freshman Michelle Culbertson practices this by writing out her assignments in her planner.
“I would just kind of like to make sure I have time to finish things and leave space in my schedule,” Culbertson said.
With bigger assignments, leaving yourself enough extra time in case something happens is crucial. Berry preaches the importance of planning out when to work on each assignment and being sure to finish assignments a day and a half before the due date. If something comes up, you’ve given yourself a decent chunk of time to problem solve. If nothing comes up, you’ve spared yourself the panic ridden all-nighter that follows procrastination.
Above all, though, Berry encourages each undergrad to pursue what they actually love.
“Really go after what you’re passionate about … for your major. Do something you enjoy,” Berry said.
Reach the reporter at mefinley@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @mollyEfinley
