Howdy, pals! Even though you may think that your time management skills in college are good enough, Nerdify reminds you that there are still some helpful tips and tricks. 

They will help you upgrade your knowledge and see how you can make your college life much easier and fun.  One of the reasons why your time management skills upgrade can be essential is because you may want to add more to your schedule and get involved in all the fun activities, yet there seems to be never enough time to do it all! Let us see how you can act as an engineer of your own time and resources in a little bit unusual way!

1. Learn to study in blocks!                                                                                           

The trick here is to approach the different study scenarios where you try different time passages or the time-blocks for your college assignments and the times of leisure. This way you can see how much time you may need to get focused in a proper way! While 30-40 minutes time blocks are ideal for studying before you take some rest, you may still need to make them either shorter or longer to see what fits you best. Remember that you have to take the breaks and switch from subject to subject to have a clear mind before you continue with the same or a completely new task. You can take a walk and have a cuppa before you continue with the studies.

The difference in such approach is your being aware of how much time you are going to spend as you study. You do not have to fear that there are hours and hours of studies ahead before you can finally have some rest! Give yourself some credit and remember that you deserve something for a change. Such an approach will not only keep you organized but will help you to divide your homework assignments by the level of importance and complexity as you form your time blocks. Start with the easy tasks first, so you may get an idea of how much time you may need. This way you can also plan the times of leisure for the day ahead when you are the one in control of your plans with all the classes getting in the way!  

2. Do not underestimate college help resources!

Most students spend the majority of their free time by trying to understand how to start with a homework assignment and how to approach an unknown writing format. Of course, there are countless questions that you try to look up online, yet it does not seem clear or your college professor has a different idea about certain rules. You can definitely save some precious time by turning to the writing help center at college and talking to your professor if you are unsure of a something. It does not make you any less smart if you take some time to speak of your concerns instead of acting cool and trying to find solutions on your own.

There are additional study groups and the special support classes almost at every college that will help you to get a guidance and assistance with the most challenging classes. If there are debates, conferences, social work, and laboratory experiments, make sure that you join the fellow students and stay as active as you can. This way you help to make your name known to others as your social network of friends starts to grow. Smart students will start to notice you and share their knowledge. Professor will see that you are a dedicated student who walks an extra mile to study. It will not only improve your chances for a scholarship and financial aid but will also help you to receive timely help!

3. Join College Study Groups!

Sometimes all your free time may be ruined by a single college class that you are struggling with! Even though you may do well in the rest of your classes, failing to understand a subject or follow professor’s speech in your English class or in Quantum Physics is a great challenge! Still, there is a trick that helps you to address the problem professionally – the college study groups. What these study groups offer is a unique advantage to focus on a single subject in a special way where you receive tutoring to cover the curriculum in a faster way. As you join the study group, you can research and ask questions without embarrassment as it is exactly why you are there. In order to help you through the class, you are offered a topic to work at, so you can collaborate with a fellow student on a group task. They call it an enhanced learning because you learn to share and work together starting from the class lecture notes to exploring additional subjects to help you understand the class in a deeper way. In a certain sense, it is like a free tutoring opportunity where you can finally liven up your study sessions and save some time that you spend trying to understand a complex assignment!

4. A Daily Schedule Approach!

While it may sound boring to you, it does help to challenge and upgrade your current time-management skills in college! A daily schedule approach will not only motivate you as a student but help you to manage your time in a more efficient way. Here is how it works:

• Make a list of your daily tasks that you have to complete!
• Write the next list with two columns of more important and less important tasks.
• Mark the tasks that are urgent and should be done with one color.
• Mark the tasks that can wait with the other color.
• Place a checkmark next to each task as you get it complete.
• Try to write down an approximate time that you have spent on each task.
• Make an additional list of all the fun things that you may want to do, so you can add it to your primary schedule!

As you try to work with a daily schedule of your college tasks, share it with your roommate and the fellow students, so you can see how it can be adjusted and what helpful techniques you may learn! Keep the daily schedule always by your side, so you can keep organized and focused!

5. Work at your soft skills!

Your personal development and growth of time management skills depend on the presence of soft skills. What it means, in reality, is your ability to be independent, adhere to strong ethics, and work at your communication skills. You have to stay patient and unbiased as you choose your sources and the books as you study. Setting the goals and trying to be flexible, you have to work at your character and coordinate what you have to learn with your true passions. The way how you approach your college life with all the studies and fun is a reflection of how well you can do in a future career. This work and experience have already started, so one has to be strong and seek for inspiration inside!

Some Nerdy tips and time management observations!

• Always have a time buffer because the days at college somehow go faster than you expect!
• Take advantage of the days and times when you feel creative and inspired. When you feel like working and know that you can do more, make sure that you do your best!
• Focus on one task at a time because even though you may be able to multitask, your brain easily becomes exhausted!
• Limit and challenge yourself with the deadlines because it keeps you more productive. If you have less time to get the task done, you work extra hard.
• Even though you may have flexible college deadlines, make sure not to procrastinate!
• Brainstorm the ideas and alternative solutions as you get stuck with your homework!
• Try to schedule the important tasks and meetings early in the day because the most challenging time is when you try to get ready for the actual task!
• Get rid of the most disturbing tasks first, so you can feel better about the rest of the items on your list!
• Always take notes and do not think that you can remember everything out there! Write it down and use it as a personal reference to turn to! It really helps to save some time!
• Do not forget to have fun and spend some time for yourself!

A kind reminder from Nerdify: your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow. Take care and practice time management!

As you know, Nerdify reviews only the most interesting and helpful stuff. And this time it’s all about leisure!

Summer is the best season to visit some outdoor music events and, with the increasing amount of music festivals all around, the possibilities are endless. If you haven’t attended any yet, it’s not too late to jump on a wagon! So if you live for music, sun and enjoying both with other music lovers, then this list may set up your itinerary for this summer vacation!

Some festivals have won their reputation throughout the years while the others are just starting to gain their followers, overall, Nerdify has compiled the best of them!

Folk on the Rocks (July 20 to 22. City of Yellowknife, Spectacular Northwest Territories)

Folk on the Rocks is an adventure worth to live for! Yellowknife welcomes thousands from all over Canada to Long Lake each year since 1980. Just imagine a perfect combination of amazing landscapes, a true beer garden and more than 24-hour music program not even mentioning the children’s area. Here is all the information you need: https://bit.ly/2Mdawka

Panorama (July 27 to 29. Randall’s Island, NYC)

This festival comes from the hand and mind of Coachella’s producers. It’s just one more reason to take a closer look at this newbie. This year’s line-up includes The Weeknd, Janet Jackson, The Killers, St. Vincent, David Byrne, and many others. Panorama also brings THE LAB, which places experiential digital art that combines technology, artistry, and design, created exclusively by New York-based artists. An experience exclusively brought to this festival. More info: https://bit.ly/2iYVpPd

Osheaga (August 3 to 5. Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal)

Every year Osheaga proves to be one of the best festivals in Canada. Its line-up is amazing and full of artists well known worldwide! From Arctic Monkeys, St. Vincent, Chromeo to Florence and the Machine, Franz Ferdinand, and it goes on and on with three days of non-stop music! Just click here and be amazed too: https://bit.ly/2l8oiLz

Lollapalooza  (August 2 to 5. Grant Park, Chicago)

Truth to be said, this one is one of Nerdify’s favorite festivals, no wonder it appears in Nerdify reviews. It was created in 1991 and quickly grew into the legendary music event of US. Although it almost ended in 1997, it came back a few years later in 2003. Grant Park in the city of Chicago! Different genres of music (rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic, etc.), eight different stages, endless food stands, and the most beautiful scenery with the Chicago Skyline on one side and Lake Michigan on the other side, make Lollapalooza one of the most powerful stages in the world. The line-up for this year includes The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, The National, and many more. For tickets and more info follow the link: https://bit.ly/2erRyWP

Arise Music Festival (August 3 to 5. Sunrise Ranch, Loveland, Colorado)

This festival is best described as a movement, where yoga, art installations, workshops, performances, sustainability, social responsibility merge with tons of music for 3 days in the mountain valley of Colorado. An eclectic line up with some reggae, EDM, and folk. A huge variety of organic food in food trucks. And the best part is that every ticket sold funds a tree planting and honestly, in Nerdify, we think this only reason is enough to go there! Here you can get more info: https://bit.ly/1OltGyI

Outside Lands (August 10 to 12. San Francisco, California)

Food, wine, beer and all the sights surrounding the San Francisco area, make this festival really unique. Every August the Golden Gate Park turns into one of the biggest music events of the West Coast. With artists such as Janet Jackson, Florence and the Machine and  The Weeknd, this year Outside Lands will make a lot of people very happy. Get all the info for this one here: https://bit.ly/2odMU3r

Mutek (August 22 to 26. Montreal, Canada)

Mutek is listed in Nerdify reviews for a reason. This multicultural and international festival sets place the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, unifying electronic music and audiovisual performances. The splendid female artist is the one in charge of this year’s line-up. For more information click here: https://bit.ly/2teDLfa

Burning Man (August 26 to September 3. Black Rock, Nevada)

Nerdify reviews Burning Man as well, though many people will not consider it as the one dedicated to music. We needed to include it in the coolest festivals because it is indeed one of the coolest! It sets up in an inhabited part of the Nevada desert that transforms into the Black Rock City for the next 7 days. A place where people are the part of an artistic community, surrounded by futuristic sculptures and surreal art, everything in the festival comes alive when the last minute surprised DJ starts to play. It ends with burning THE man. More info: https://bit.ly/2ppRVJe

Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival  (September 22 and 23. Franklin, Tennessee)

With a 3-year history, this festival has already gained a fame of the place to find all the best bands in every genre on its 6 stages: rock’n’roll, country, bluegrass, jazz, indie, gospel, pop, and blues. Its creators have thought every single aspect through to make this festival the best experience ever – everything is kept on the highest level of performance.  This year’s line-up includes Lionel Richie, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Jack White, and many more. Check all artists here: https://bit.ly/2ywqsM5

We admit, there’s a great number of music festivals all the year round, so probably these Nerdify reviews are just a start. We will definitely have to post similar entries for the other season’s music fests. But for now, summer is the sunny season that’s just too perfect to enjoy music outdoors all day and all night long! So go ahead and start filling the agenda!

When the topic of volunteering came up, some experts at Nerdify remarked that volunteers are not paid not because what they do is not important but because what they do is priceless. Indeed, volunteers are those people who are not often noticed, yet they are the ones who always change the world.

Regardless if you spend your summertime busy guiding the young scouts in your local community or helping students with special needs to win in the sports competition or elsewhere, your contribution is priceless. It is also a great way to add something special to your resume as you are getting ready for college or plan to apply for a scholarship to finance your studies. In either case, volunteering is a wonderful world that you have to explore!

1. Contribution to Your Local Community. First of all, you are making a significant contribution to your local community. It does not matter if you help to fix the computers at the youth community outlet or assist the elderly with their finances, it is the fact of your participation that makes the difference. As we are living through challenging times, more and more people require any kind of help. Both young and old are looking for guidance as they feel challenged by the social restrictions and isolation. As a volunteer, you can provide both physical and mental help that will make you feel much better. When you know that you have made someone smile, you will realize that the day has not passed in vain!

2. Learning More About Social Work. If you would like to learn more about team projects and community work, volunteering will help you to learn the basics of cooperation. Our experts at Nerdify reviews are always participating in various social campaigns all over the world as we work hard to help fellow learners find valuable facts and information that may help them. It is not always easy and it is only natural to face certain challenges as everyone will have their opinion. What really matters is the list of things that you learn. As you are making each new step, your social skills will improve as you learn how to listen and express your thoughts. It will help you a great deal as you join college or get a part-time job.

3. Helping to Highlight All The Important Issues. When we discussed volunteering, our Nerdify reviews team suggested mentioning the next fact: when we participate in local or international volunteering projects, we also help to deliver vital information and talk about existing problems. For example, if you are helping to educate children in Nepal or preserve the population of wildlife in South Africa, you already receive a plethora of unique information that can and must be shared with the world. As a volunteer, you can become the voice of all the important issues in 2021 and those of the past.

4. Building Up Confidence and Strong Social Skills. Another important factor that we would like to mention at the Nerdify review relates to building up your confidence and addressing your social skills. If you are not confident enough about talking to people, you have to push yourself and go beyond your comfort zone. In other words, as a volunteer, you are forced to do things that you might not do otherwise. You will feel more confident as you will be able to communicate with people like you that come from all the possible social and cultural backgrounds. It is a great opportunity you should not miss!

5. Getting Ready For Adult Life & Responsibilities. For many people that participate in volunteering projects, it is also an important point that helps them to get ready for adult life as they handle various responsibilities and risks. It is a way to get mature and prepare yourself for college, work, internships, and learn things. If you want to explore your creative horizons and make a positive difference, consider volunteering as a way to test your skills and help others. It is a good way to spend your summer and do something meaningful!

6. Adding Volunteering to Your Resume. Of course, another important reason why summer volunteering matters relates to adding valuable entries to your resume. It can be used when you are looking for a job or when you compose your personal statement letter. Volunteering facts will always make you stand out and will show that you are a responsible and caring individual. Moreover, it is also a reason to consider relevant scholarships.

7. The Mental Aspect. Finally, volunteering just makes you feel happy and grateful for every opportunity that comes your way. You will also make new friends, learn to cooperate, and will see how to find solutions and move forward!