If you budget your time successfully you will be rewarded with more effective study habits, and maybe more time for personal activities.

Plan ahead using a monthly calendar to track important dates and deadlines for large projects (date to finish your research, date to complete first draft, and so on).

Start by making a list of all the activities that you do throughout the week. Begin with the non-flexible activities (like class times, work, home and child-care responsibilities) and then add your flexible activities (like hanging with friends, sports, etc.). Rank your activities in order of importance. Some things to consider including in your schedule: study time, meetings, exercise, time to eat, sleep, and clean up, haircuts, shopping for food, dates and other social events, part-time work, time with family, and other individual priorities.

If you're having trouble breaking your schedule into smaller pieces, try keeping a diary of your daily activities. Once this is done, you will be able to see where your time is actually spent. Even include activities that only take a couple of minutes.

Since academic work is an important priority, begin with your classes and study times. Plan to study at least two hours a week for every unit.

Once your schedule is complete, make sure that you have set realistic goals for yourself. Each individual places a different degree of importance on the activities within their schedule. Make sure that you have personal time and get enough sleep.

No one can predict everything that is going to happen throughout the week - your schedule needs to be flexible. So if unforeseen activities arise during a study time, review your schedule and select a different study time.

Stick to your daily schedule for at least two weeks. After two weeks re-assess what does and does not work and revise the schedule. For example, if you find that you need more time for a particular course and less for another, make the necessary changes.

Read on the bus, exercise on your way to and from school, study between classes. However, don't forget to plan for fun, too.

Picture yourself ten years after graduation. What will you have done in your life? In particular, what will you say to others when you describe your university years?

Get involved. If you actively participate in your university community, you will likely have innumerable stories of personal and intellectual growth, tales of struggle and success, and memories of friends you made through believing in and doing things together.

If your tenure as a student was more passive, you will likely share stories of a lonely campus without bonds of community and friendship. In addition, while you might have received first-class employment training, you will be less likely to tell stories of receiving first-class training for citizenship and community participation.

Finding a balance between work, study, play, and active participation in your university community is the best way to be able to leave SFU as a responsible, educated, critical and contributing citizen. These skills for success as a person cannot be learned in the classroom alone.

There are also career benefits to being a well-rounded individual. Extra-curricular activities look good on your resume and will help your career.

1. Get involved with a club on campus. SFU has a wide range of political, social, cultural, humanitarian and religious clubs, as well as a very active International Student group on campus. At the beginning of each term, attend “Club Days” to sign up for membership. You can find a list of SFU student clubs at go.sfss.ca/clubs/list .
2. Become active in your departmental Student Union, or the Graduate Issues Committee. The Student Society is built on a department student union structure, so you are automatically a member of the student union(s) for the department(s) in which you are enrolled. Student Unions run events, advocate for students in their departments, and help run overall campaigns for the Society. The Graduate Issues Committee is made up of representatives from each department Union.
3. Participate in University or Society committees and represent the interests of your fellow students. Student Society committees oversee most aspects of the work and operations of the Society, from services to campaigns, finances, and more.
4. Get elected. Departments and the Society need active participants to make decisions on behalf of students.
5. Become a member of the Women's Centre, SFPIRG, or Out on Campus collectives.