Make an activity log detailing how you spend your time from waking to sleep. Every half hour should be accounted for and detailed. For example:
7:30 wake
7:30-8:15 shower, eat, dress
8:15 check email
8:45 leave for school
9:10-10 biology class
Note, if an activity lasts for an hour, such as a class, the entry needs not be repeated, as it is implied in the subsequent half hour.
Review your activity log. Look for time that goes unaccounted for. Are there gaps in your day? Are there long periods of waiting, doing nothing, or being distracted? Do you move between times of having too much to do and boredom?
Maintain the log for one week, reviewing the next day. Each day, highlight in red what you need to get done. Highlight in green your daily gaps, even if it is only 30 minutes of time.
Prioritize your reds. What items on your to-do-list really need to be done? What items are most important to you to complete in order to reach your ultimate goals? Allow 10 extra minutes for every hour you estimate a red project will take. Give yourself the time to do your work well and time to review for completeness and errors. Prioritizing insures that your essentials always have their allotted time and that they are completed before all else.
Look at the red and green highlights as clolor blocks that one wants to bring together. Bulk the reds and the greens. Do this by asking yourself, what can be lumped together that isn't? For example, if one has a classes from 9:10 to 11 and again from 12:30 to 2 staying on campus will help one retain not only the transportation time, but the time it takes to transition from one activity to another. Move a red activity that can be done on campus into this gap.
If you are making your class schedule, consciously look at fitting your classes together in blocks such as mornings,or on designated day of the week. If your coursework won't allow for this, then look for ways you can utilize your on campus time to get things done such as studying, research, group projects, and working out.
The Mayo Clinic uses "The Ten Minute Rule." If there are tasks in your red blocks that you dread, tackle them at 10 minute intervals, devoting 10 focused minutes and moving on to another task. Schedule these 10 minutes to insure you do not avoid the task.
Print out a daily schedule and a calendar. On the calendar write out everything that is a have-to for that date. Post the calendar in a visible spot such as your refrigerator, inside a pantry door or on your closet. Every night make your schedule for the following day. It's easier if this is digital so you can copy and paste the constant events that do not change. Place this inside your binder so it's the first thing you see. This helps you know what it is you need to be doing and where you should be doing it.
Be flexible. Stuff happens. This is one of the reasons one adds 10 minutes for every hour one estimates a task will take, so you can take that phone call, have a quick chat, stretch, etc. In fact, schedule "me" time. Make as a priority at least one thing that refreshes you, whether its a nap or a jog. According to MindTools.com, refueling increases effectiveness, focus and productivity.