Make Lists
Lists are great for just about everything: groceries, errands, homework assignments. Free up some brain space by putting everything you need to get done on a list. When we try to remember everything with brainpower alone, especially the older we get, the less gray matter we seem to have left for the really important things, like studying.
Make lists, keep them with you, and revel in the satisfaction of crossing items off when you’ve completed them.
Run Errands Counter-Clockwise
What? You'll see. Now that you have a list of errands to run, organize them in a way that saves the most time. I number my errands based on right turns. Assuming you’re driving, making right turns eliminates a lot of wasted time waiting for red lights. It also saves time because you’re not waiting to turn left through busy traffic lanes when you’re turning into a business. Right turns in, right turns out, counter-clockwise. Fast and easy.
Try it once and you’ll see how much time you can save running errands, time you can spend getting even smarter.
Think of Your Minutes as Money
Assign a monetary value to your time, and watch how much less of it you're willing to waste on unimportant stuff. You can do this using your current income (divide your paycheck amount by minutes or hours) or make up a completely imaginary number. Either way works.
When you’re not sure if an activity is worthwhile, calculate how much it’ll cost you to do it. Watching TV suddenly becomes very expensive, money that could take you closer to graduation and your dream job. The choice is yours. Change the way you manage your time and balance school, work, and life.
