You managed to survive midterms, and soon, you’ll face something even more stressful -- finals.

For those who find managing your time a difficult process, here are 10 time-management tips to make your life a little easier.

1). Planning and Organizing - Planning and organization are the first steps in developing an action plan to improve the ways in which you manage your time effectively. Planning allows you to prioritize your duties according to if the task is a maintenance task, which is one that, once completed, will leave you in the same position as you were before or a progress task, which is one you believe will help you reach a position which is fundamentally better than the one you are in now. You can get so tied up in maintenance tasks that you will not be able to accomplish your more important progress tasks.

2). Use a To-Do List - Although our brains can store enormous amounts of information, we still tend to occasionally forget things. After planning and organizing your tasks, form a To-Do List. Using a To-Do List can construct your daily activities from morning to evening saving you time from remembering what has to be done daily.

3). Set Goals - To accomplish the things you want in life you must set goals in order to begin executing your action plan. Goals give your life, and the way you spend your time, direction. Set goals that are specific, measurable, realistic and achievable. How will you know where you are going in life if you do not set a path to travel?

4). Prioritize - Determining the priority of your task is closely related to planning and organizing.

5). Avoid postponing important tasks - Procrastination is a deadend street that leads to stress. If you avoid tasks Monday through Thursday, on Friday you will be pulling you hair out trying to get things done. Also, some tasks require more time to complete than you may think. Completing them at the last minute may leave you pressed for time.

6). Energy Level - Learn when your body operates the best. Are you a morning person or a late afternoon person? Try to accomplish as much as possible during the time of day when your body is at its peak.

7). Do it right the first time - There’s nothing more annoying than performing the same task more than once. If you have a five-page report on human cells, do not turn in three pages on Greek life. You will spend valuable time redoing your assignment.

8). Avoid Interruptions - Studying with soft music may be relaxing for some, but avoid interruptions such as televisions, telephones, visitors and loud music.

9). Learn to say “No” - It’s all right to say “No.” As a college student you have daily commitments to keep. Don’t overbook yourself with commitments.

10). Reward yourself - When is the last time you’ve done something nice to reward yourself for working hard to accomplish your goals? Promise yourself a treat for accomplishing a goal, and stick to it. Good luck!

For more information on timemanagement, check out Getting Things Done: The A, B, C'S of Time Management by Edwin C. Bliss from the Paul Meek Library, or visit www.gmu.edu/gmu/personal/time.html.