It’s the time of year at Baker when everyone is “joining.” Sports teams and clubs are gearing up to collect new members. Baker is known for having some of the most commitment-minded students, but how can Baker students find time to be a part of everything that our campus has to offer? The simple answer is time management skills.

Managing your time isn’t as simple as knowing what you have to do. Time management is a balancing act. Knowing where to go, what to do and how long you have to do both is a constant reminder of how most students sometimes try to squeeze 48 hours of work and activity into a 24-hour time frame.

But what happens when something comes along and throws that off? What if a presentation date is changed from a week away to two days away? Throwing your hands up and quitting is the easiest option, but planning might be a better solution.

For instance, take time at the beginning of your day to write down everything you have to accomplish throughout the day. Put your most important tasks at the top. This will help you to prioritize your tasks.

Set aside a specific time when you will accomplish your most important tasks. During this time put away your phone and other potential distractions. A helpful tip would also be to put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door (or desk if you have a roommate and can’t close the door).

For more long-term projects like research papers and presentations, schedule time each day to work on them. These periods of time don’t have to be particularly long — 30 minutes a day would be plenty. By taking on the project in smaller pieces, you will be less overwhelmed and understand more of the material.

Over the course of this semester, try these tips. They will greatly increase your productivity and success. But it’s also important to remember that you can’t accomplish everything every day. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. Time planning is a process, but will become a habit the more you practice it.