Note! When I originally wrote this post, I wanted to focus on college students. But, after ‘sitting with’ the post for a bit, I realized that much of the content applies to the rest of us. People who make excuses, whine, and adopt the attitude of a ‘victim.’ Enough already! Let’s all take steps, take responsibility, set goals and achieve them. Read on.

O.K. The fall term is underway for most college students I know. Maybe you’re one of them. It’s striking how many of those young people find ways to whine and complain about their studies! Just weeks into the term, I hear a lot of the following…

• Some topics in class weren’t covered on the exam
• We have to write papers
• The course covers too much material! 
• The teacher won’t tell me how I’m doing in class
• I studied for hours, but I still failed the test. 
• I just don’t do well on tests. But I know the material. 
• I don’t have time to do it all. 
• I’ve got a job. How can I be expected to study? 
• I don’t really need to know this stuff. 
• The course isn’t relevant to my life. 
• There’s too much memorization. 
• I pay good money for my classes, so I deserve a good grade.

You’ve got to be kidding?! Talk about delusions! You didn’t study for hours, otherwise you not only would have passed the test, you’d have gotten an “A.” And all the other statements are just “cop-outs.”

Granted, I went to college years ago - and I could go on and on about how hard it was for me to even get the opportunity to attend. After all, I was born in Ghana, and had to emigrate to the U.S. so that I could go to McDaniel College, in Westminster, Maryland. And yes, times have changed. But…in some ways they’ve gotten easier for students. For example, computers and calculators have replaced the typewriter and slide rule.

But then, I know there are more distractions today, such as cell phones, social networking sites and a wider network of ‘friends’ to keep up with. Instead of frittering away your time, take control of it: manage those distractions! I’m not saying eliminate them all - that’s impossible. But, harnessing the 24 hours in the day, with the intention of reaching your goal - now that just makes sense!

Here are some tips I share with those students who come to me for advice:

Keep a Detailed Calendar

It’s almost impossible to remember everything you need to do in your head. You need a low-tech system to keep track of all your deadlines and obligations. While there are high-tech solutions for keeping track of your studies, they can often be switched “off” or ignored. A wall calendar isn’t that easy to ignore - especially a really big one!

Plan Ahead

Figure out how much time you have for each assignment, and plot this out in your calendar. Here’s a special tip: Always give yourself some extra time for each assignment in case one takes longer than you expected.

And here’s another one. Be sure to schedule in study breaks.

Prioritize

If you have a long list of tasks to complete, you may need to prioritize and spend more time with some tasks than others. And, don’t over-commit! Make fewer obligations to campus organizations, friends, or other drains on your schedule. Learn how to say “no.” It’s a skill that will come in handy throughout your life!

In a world full of text messaging and computer games, the distractions available to students are abundant and hard to resist. In college (and in life) nobody is there to manage your time but yourself. You need to take responsibility for your success, get organized, and stay focused. After all, you want that degree, right?