Balancing classes, study time, and your personal life can be a challenge. Sometimes it helps to add a little structure. With Microsoft Excel, we’re going to go through how to put together the perfect schedule.
Your Courses
The first step in building your schedule is your courses. Most schools will have a schedule builder so you can see all your courses laid out. We’re going to take it a step further and build it in Excel. If you’re lucky, your school will have the option to export to Excel. My school doesn’t, so I did it manually. Here’s my schedule (can you guess my major?).
Studying and Course Work
The next step is going to be adding in your study time. Make sure you don’t make the blocks too long or overbook your weekend – You don’t want to get burnt out. It helps to schedule consistent study times so you can really get into the routine. I do my best work in the morning, so that’s when I’ll try to schedule them, although as you can see, this isn’t always possible. Remember, you need to do about three hours of study time per course.
Responsibilities
Next up, we have our responsibilities. I have a dog so it’s important for me to make time to walk her twice a day. I also work weekends so I schedule that in as well.
Remember to Eat
It can be hard to remember to eat with your hectic schedule, but you can’t forget to make time for meals. I schedule two meals a day because breakfast only takes five to ten minutes.
Time for Yourself
Lastly, it’s incredibly important to schedule time for yourself. Include plans with friends, getting some alone time, reading a book, or playing video games. Having structured time to do the things you enjoy will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and give you something to look forward to. Having it in your planner will make it guilt-free and easy to make sure you don’t accidentally cut into your study time and responsibilities. I take Sundays completely off of school to refresh myself for the next week.
Now that you have your schedule built, you’re ready to tackle your semester! Remember to stick to it as best you can. You’ll notice I left sections of my schedule blank. You really never know what can come up, and it’s best to have wiggle room in case you’re stuck on an assignment or need some extra recharge time. If you’re struggling to build your schedule, remember to reach out to your guidance counselor or academic success department.