Time management is a critical skill for students balancing multiple responsibilities. Many face the daily challenges of racing against deadlines while managing coursework, jobs and personal obligations. The pressure to finish assignments, maintain sleep and stay healthy often contributes to higher levels of stress and anxiety.
Time management, often regarded as the key to academic success, is one of the biggest challenges college students face. According to MEDIUM, stress and burnout are common consequences of poor time management. Over 85% of college students reported feeling overwhelmed by their responsibilities, and 30% reported feeling so overwhelmed that it negatively affected their academic performance.
Sean Davis, a fourth-year communication major, said prioritizing schoolwork comes first, but staying disciplined is harder than it sounds.
“I make sure my schoolwork is done before work and personal time,” Davis said. “I think my challenge is assuming I have more time than I actually do, giving myself only a day to finish something important.”
Davis said that forgetting assignments or choosing social time over studying has cost him opportunities to invest time in himself.
“I’ve had to sacrifice sleep, meals and social time, especially around midterms and finals,” Davis said. “I don’t drink caffeine, but I take study breaks and listen to music. Writing checklists during finals week helps me manage my time.”
His experience mirrors what some Point Loma Nazarene University students have reported — that the struggle to balance academics, work and personal responsibilities often leads to exhaustion, even when they try to stay ahead.
For professors, their concern is not just about late assignments — it’s about student wellness and long-term growth. John Capra, PLNU assistant professor of communication studies, said time management consistently appears as one of the top predictors of success in his classroom.
“Students who develop an ability to manage their time effectively are better prepared to attend class sessions and complete assignments,” Capra said in an email interview. “Allocating the right amount of time to academics in relation to other areas of life helps ensure they’re performing to the best of their abilities.”
Capra said that the goal isn’t perfection, but balance.
“College can certainly be busy, but it’s also meant to be enjoyable,” Capra said. “Taking care of yourself and finding what brings you rest is an important skill to develop now — it’s part of preparing for life after college.”
Capra also linked time management directly to self-care, describing it as a life skill rather than a school technique.
“When you learn to allocate time to the things that matter — classes, relationships, work — you’re setting yourself up to thrive,” he said.
Aubrey Riddle, PLNU’s Wellness Center administrator, often sees the effects of poor time management firsthand. She said that stress, anxiety and exhaustion often trace back to one root cause: students taking on more than they can handle.
“Students tend to respond to overwhelm by deprioritizing sleep, which is majorly counterproductive,” Riddle said in an email interview. “Consistent, restorative sleep should be one of three non-negotiables in a schedule — along with nutrition and exercise.”
Ignoring those needs, Riddle said, can trigger a downward cycle.
“When students don’t do well, they often feel guilt or shame. But the problem usually isn’t intelligence — it’s overcommitment,” Riddle said. “That guilt increases anxiety, makes sleep worse and leads to more time mismanagement. It becomes a pattern.”
The Wellness Center has observed an increase in students seeking support this semester, Riddle said. She believes that growing awareness of mental health and expanding outreach programs — including stress-management workshops, wellness education events and access to counseling tools like the WellTrack app — have encouraged students to ask for help sooner rather than later.
Riddle said students can often identify when they’re overcommitted before burnout hits if they pay attention.
“If your sleep, nutrition or social relationships are suffering, those are the first signs to seek support,” Riddle said. “Students generally know what they need to give up or prioritize to find balance. Our job is to help them stabilize.”
Riddle encouraged small, practical steps for managing stress, like taking deep breaths, stretching on the floor or doing the “5-4-3-2-1” grounding exercise: naming five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell and one thing you taste.
Back in the classroom, students like Davis continue to find their own rhythm. While time management workshops and planners can help, many learn through experience — sometimes the hard way.
The underlying lesson, experts said, isn’t about mastering a schedule — it’s about mastering awareness. As Capra said, “You can’t control time, but you can control how you use it.”
