How OAU students master time management amid packed schedules

Benjamin Oluwakasayo Emmanuel

For many Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students, juggling classes, projects, tests, and personal life demands creative strategies. While some thrive through strict routines and priorities, others admit the balance comes at a steep cost or feels outright impossible.

Inioluwa, a Part 3 Broadcast Journalism student, described effective time management at OAU as not an easy task, especially with heavy workloads. "Being a Part 3 Communication and Language Arts student who has a lot of class projects, assignments, tests and yet still needs to attend classes, it has not been easy," she said. Her solution: building a personal structure. She attends classes diligently, completes campus tasks on time, and reserves home time for personal activities. "To manage time from my own perspective is to study and know oneself and also build structure according to priority," Inioluwa explained.

Jeremiah, another student, insisted effective time management is the responsibility of the student, not the school management nor lecturers. It starts with intentionality. "Arriving early to classes, seizing every opportunity like using cancelled lecture time to rest at the hostel or handle other campus errands instead of loitering. Effective time management is being intentional about yourself," Jeremiah stated.

Not everyone finds balance easy. Moses confessed that coordinating academics, social life, and personal time has been tasking. For him, studies must dominate. "My main focus while on campus is to study, so for me to be effective, every other thing has to be on hold," he said. Balancing all three? "Not feasible, one has to give way for the other."

David, a Dramatic Arts student, agreed it's possible but costly. Overnight rehearsals, tests, and classes leave him exhausted. "Effective time management is not really possible and for that to be possible it has to come at a cost," he noted. To cope, he buys food from vendors and uses dry cleaners, freeing time for reading or rest. "The time that I am supposed to use for cooking since I have already bought food from food vendors, I might decide to use that time to read or rest so that by the time I wake up I will feel refreshed and active."

OAU students' stories reveal time management as deeply personal, rooted in self-discipline for some, trade-offs for others. Whether through rigid priorities or outsourced chores, they adapt to the university's demanding rhythm.