College is about more than just books, exams, papers and projects. It is a time to make new friends, network with your peers and businesses, participate in organizations and activities you love, and possibly work to pay for it all.  With so many competing priorities for your time, how can you get it all done? I've found that adopting these five best practices can help you achieve balance during your college years.

To-do list

1.  Set your priorities.

Set priorities on both a large and small scale. In the big picture, what are your long-term goals and what do you need to do to achieve them? Whether it is achieving a particular GPA or getting to know employees at the company you’d like to work at, these should be your highest priorities. Break it down even further to decide what your priorities are for the next semester or the next month. And finally, keep prioritizing on a daily basis. What three things are the most important for you to get done the next day?

2.  Get a planner or calendar.

Keep track of due dates, meetings and group projects. I tend to write something like “Physics homework due tomorrow,” rather than putting it on the actual due date, just in case I forget to look ahead in my schedule for what’s coming up. If you’d like, you can use different colored pens for due dates, meetings and events. Keep your calendar up-to-date and color-code as needed.

3.  Write it all down.

Make a to-do list. Figure out what kind of list works best for you. Maybe you make columns for top, medium and low priority tasks. Maybe you break it down by category, such as networking, student organizations, chemistry lab and calculus lecture. However you do it, find what works for you and keep it up-to-date.

4.  Learn to say no.

You can’t do everything. Better to do a few things excellently than many things sub-par. Spread yourself too thinly, and you’ll always be pressed for time and struggle to complete everything on that to-do list.

5.  Don’t forget fun.

With all your coursework, networking and meetings, you need to leave time for some fun. Your college years are meant to be social in addition to scholarly. You want some college memories other than your late-night study sessions, don’t you? Plus, taking some time for yourself and your friends will help keep your stress levels down.

How do you stay balanced during your busiest school times?

Photo: Tuesday to-do list by littlebluehen on Flickr, Creative Commons 2.0