As you work to overcome procrastination and limit distractions, think about how to prioritize, which means putting your tasks, goals, and values in order of importance. (Below, we’ll discuss strategies to avoid becoming overextended, which goes hand in hand with setting priorities.) Ask yourself which goals are most important, but also which ones are most urgent. For example, studying in order to get a good grade on tomorrow’s test might have to take priority over attending a job fair today, or completing an assignment that is due tomorrow might have to take priority over driving your friend somewhere.

However, don’t ignore long-term goals in order to meet short-term goals. With good time management, you can study during the week prior to the test so that you can attend the job fair, too. Skilled time managers often establish priorities by maintaining a term calendar and to-do lists on which they rank the items in order of importance to determine schedules and deadlines for each task.

From the beginning of the term, plan your work on term papers and major projects that might not be due for several weeks or even months. Consult with a tutor or a more experienced student to help you break large assignments down into smaller steps, such as choosing a topic, doing research, creating an outline, or writing a first draft. Once you have entered your future commitments in a term planner and decided how your time will be spent each week, create your to-do list, which is especially handy for last-minute reminders. A to-do list helps you keep track of errands to run, appointments to make, and anything else you might forget. You can keep this list on your cell phone or tablet, in a notebook, or on a bulletin board in your room. Use your to-do list to keep track of all the tasks you need to remember, not just academics. Consider developing a system for prioritizing the items on your list: using different colors of ink for different groups of tasks; highlighting the most important assignments; marking items with one, two, or three stars; or adding letters A, B, C, and so on to indicate which tasks are most important (Figure 2.4).

FIGURE 2.4 To-Do List

You can keep a to-do list on a mobile device, in a notebook, or on a bulletin board. Use it to keep track of all the tasks you need to remember, not just academics. Consider adding Saturday and Sunday as these are productive days for many busy people. As you complete a task, cross it off your list. Enjoy the satisfaction of each accomplishment.

Set Priorities Like the Pros

Professional coaches help their teams thrive by setting effective priorities, whether it’s making a plan for the next play, for the whole game, or for an entire season. In setting your own priorities, take a lesson from these coaches: Prioritize your long-term plans while making sensible play-by-play decisions every day.