Manage Your School Career like a Professional

Good management principles are key concepts to the success of every business. Thriving managers use planning, organizing, directing and controlling (evaluating), as well as Human Resource skills, to ensure the organization runs effectively and efficiently. Did you know these principles can also be applied to your school career? Doing so will allow you to take charge of your academic life and manage it like a pro.

Here are the key management principles every student (and business owner) should know.

Planning

Set specific goals and visualize what you want as your end result. Break down goals for the term, month, week, and day. Make a detailed list of what steps are needed to accomplish your goals.

Organizing

Organize your time by using a planner to note due dates, class schedules, projects, etc. Make to-do lists each day and prioritize the importance of each task that needs to be accomplished. Create and use a filing system to stay organized with your paperwork.

Directing

Take charge of your life, your time, your work. Make important decisions as to what needs to get done as opposed to what you want to do. Direct and delegate the activities in your daily life to ensure you stay on task.

Controlling/Evaluating

Evaluate and monitor the results of each assignment.

• Did you receive the grade you want? Be honest with yourself on the reasons.
• Were you motivated?
• Did you deviate from your plan?
• Was it an organizational issue?
• Did you spend enough time studying?
• Did you procrastinate?

The “manager” needs to assess the reasons (or excuses) and put together an improvement plan.

Human Resource skills

Motivation plays a key role in accomplishing our goals. Managers are always looking for ways to motivate their staff to improve performance and to accomplish goals. How can you get motivated so you bring your “A” game to each class? Doing assignments first then rewarding yourself with T.V. or social activities is one way to stay motivated and on task. Doing assignments during your “high productive” hours can help keep you alert and motivated as opposed to feeling lazy or tired. Assessing all your motivating factors can help contribute to your school career success.

Managing your school career is a continuous improvement process. Using the management principles, students are able to accomplish their educational goals more effectively and efficiently. Personal and professional success depends on how well we understand and utilize these concepts.