we know sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day, and that things fall to the wayside as a result. while this happens to the best of us every once in a while, students who struggle with time management on an ongoing basis don’t do themselves many favors. in this post, we cover some of the serious consequences that can happen when students don’t manage their time properly.
1. procrastination
procrastination is the most obvious result of poor time management. students who don’t have control over their time end up letting tasks sit until the last minute – and then they feel a lot of stress when they try to play catch up. if you’ve let too many tasks sit, you might miss deadlines entirely.
2. lower grades and test scores
if you’re having trouble balancing the demands of your course load and test prep with internships or clubs, you’ll likely find that both your academics and test performance will take a hit. when you don’t keep up with your studies, you’re less able to understand or engage with new material, so your lack of time management can create a bad cycle for your academic performance.
3. chronic lack of sleep
constantly staying up late to finish assignments that you should’ve done days ago will cut into your sleeping time. we know how important sleep is to college students, but poor time management can move sleep to the bottom of your list of priorities. this can result in fatigue and illness.
4. unhealthy eating habits
when you sleep through breakfast because you stayed up too late the night before trying to meet an assignment deadline, you likely won’t get three meals that day. missing a meal will typically prompt you to reach for snacks to make up for it – and many students end up reaching for junk food and other unhealthy options.
5. lack of punctuality
if you can’t manage your time, you’re probably always late for things including your classes, your professors’ office hours, and scheduled appointments. your lack of punctuality won’t make you look professional or polished. keep in mind that people’s impressions of you matter, and that people do notice when you’re consistently unable to show up on time.
about the author:
catherine supports magoosh’s future grad school students by unlocking tricks of the test prep and application trade. catherine spends her free time checking out local farmer’s markets, reading food and lifestyle blogs, and watching bravo. she is forever in search of the best mexican and italian food in any given city.
photo attributions:
1 – photo of bad grade courtesy of flickr user robert hruzek under the creative commons 2.0 license.
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