Mind · Managing your time
Planning your week
Once a week, spend 15 to 30 minutes putting everything fixed on a calendar first (work, class, sleep, meals), then schedule real blocks for the work that matters, broken into small pieces. Each day, pick your top three or four tasks. Expect things to take longer than you think, and leave room for it.
You'll need
- A calendar (paper or phone)
- A running to-do list
- Your work schedule and class dates
What to know
- Pick a regular planning time. UNC's Learning Center suggests the same time every week, about 15 to 30 minutes, to map your obligations across the week. Source: UNC Learning Center1
- Put the big dates in first. Enter every exam, deadline, trip and event for the next few months, then work backward from each due date to choose when you'll start. Source: UNC Learning Center1
- Block your non-negotiables. McGill's guide lists them: classes, appointments, sleeping, eating, exercise, self-care and chores. Put those on the calendar before anything else. Source: McGill University3 Add work shifts and other regular commitments, set as repeating events. Source: UNC Learning Center1
- Estimate, then schedule the work. List what you need to get done this week, estimate how long each piece takes, and put it into open slots with buffer time around it. Source: UNC Learning Center1
- Break big jobs into small pieces. Berkeley's Student Learning Center suggests chunks you can finish in 15 minutes or less, with results you can see, like a reading split into two- or three-page sections. Source: UC Berkeley2
- Do hard work when you're sharpest. Plan your toughest tasks for the times you're most alert, in a place where you can stay focused. Source: UNC Learning Center1
- Make a short daily list. Keep one ongoing list of everything, and each day pick your top three or four tasks from it. Source: McGill University3
- Schedule rest on purpose. UNC says not to assume you'll find time for yourself: put exercise and free time on the calendar too, and take a quick break about every hour. Source: UNC Learning Center1
- Adjust as you go. UNC's last tip is to change your schedule as needed. Source: UNC Learning Center1 Look at what slipped, and plan next week with that in mind.
A sample week (made-up example)
Someone working 25 hours and taking two classes. Fixed things went in first; everything else fits around them.
| Day | Fixed | Planned work | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Work 9 to 3 | Class reading, 7 to 8 (pages 1 to 15) | Walk after work |
| Tuesday | Class 6 to 9 p.m. | Pay bills, 15 min at lunch | Morning off |
| Wednesday | Work 9 to 3 | Paper outline, 4 to 5 | Dinner with a friend |
| Thursday | Class 6 to 9 p.m. | Laundry and groceries, 10 to 12 | Gym, 2 to 3 |
| Friday | Work 9 to 4 | Nothing planned: buffer | Evening free |
| Sunday | None | Weekly plan, 20 min | Most of the day free |
Friday is left open on purpose, for whatever ran over.
Your 20-minute weekly plan
- Check the calendar for the next two weeks: deadlines, bills, appointments.
- Block work, class, sleep and meals.
- Pick the three things that would make this week a win, and give each a time slot.
- Break any big task into 15-minute pieces.
- Leave one block open as a buffer.
- Set reminders for anything with a hard deadline.
See it done
Video by Dennis Learning Center at Ohio State University
How to Manage Your Time in College
2020 · Checked October 3, 2026
She's a college student, but it works with a work schedule too: fixed stuff first, then find your open blocks.
Video won't load at school or work? No problem. Everything you need is in the steps; the video's just a bonus. Watch it on YouTube later.
If it doesn't work
- Putting something off? Write down why it matters and what you get when it's done, then cut it into a 15-minute first step. Source: UC Berkeley2
- Too much on the list? Pick one project to focus on first, and be realistic about your limits. Taking on less is allowed. Source: UC Berkeley2
- Can't get started? Tell a friend what you'll finish and by when, or set a small reward you'll only take if you finish. Source: UC Berkeley2
- Something keeps sliding to next week? Ask whether you really intend to do it. If not, Berkeley's advice is to drop it honestly instead of carrying it around. Source: UC Berkeley2
Good to know
The details, if you want them. Tap a line to open it.
Planning is a skill, not a personality
UNC's handout points to research finding that students who planned their time used study time more efficiently and scored higher on tests. Source: UNC Learning Center1
Three levels
McGill's guide manages time at three levels: the big picture for the term, a weekly schedule and a daily list. Source: McGill University3 Outside school, think months, weeks and days.
Take it with you
Printable cardDownload card (PDF)Sources
- UNC Learning Center Calendars and college
- UC Berkeley Student Learning Center Time and self-management for academic success
- McGill University Learning guide: time management
Lesson C5.1 · Last checked October 3, 2026 against the sources listed.
Find it online:
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