As examinations draw near, you should consider how to arrange your days and improve your time management skills in order to balance your responsibilities at home, at work, and in school. Additionally, you ought to try to eat some brain food—no, we’re not talking about crisps and energy drinks!
You may give yourself the best opportunity of keeping on track and organized during the exam season by setting your priorities in order. This can also help to reduce stress, which can mean the difference between success and failure at university.
Check out our top seven time management suggestions so you can succeed in school, find time to unwind, and perhaps make some extra money.
What is Time Management?
Time management involves allocating the proper amount of time to the appropriate activities.
Practical Methods To Manage Your Time
1. Identify Time Wasters and Establish Goals
It’s easy to become sidetracked. Keep an eye out for anything that takes your attention away from your studies and assignments.
- Do you spend too much time on social media?
- Do you find yourself texting or answering personal phone calls while studying?
- Do you find that you’ve wasted a lot of time while mindlessly surfing the web?
Set a goal to avoid engaging in whatever is consuming your time during devoted study time. Instead, utilize those activities as a reward for remaining focused and completing the job at hand. Make a list of tasks to complete. Determine time wasters. Set completion targets.
2. Plan ahead of time by making a to-do list
Determine what has to be done and then prioritize the activities based on when the assignment is due and how much time you have to accomplish it. This provides you with a set plan for the day. Having a plan, whether it’s just a list of priorities or a whole calendar for the day, will guarantee that you know what to do and when. Unless there is a pressing need, it is also necessary to examine the type of work you want to accomplish.
- Do you have any ideas? You should probably prioritize focusing on a writing task.
- Do you feel concentrated? You may spend the day studying for a test.
Make a list of things to accomplish now and things to do later. Set deadlines.
3. Begin with small tasks.
Large projects and tests can easily overwhelm you, and the tension can cause you to postpone. Begin with shorter, simpler tasks before progressing to larger projects or assignments.
- What can you finish in the quickest amount of time with the fewest dependencies?
- What requires more time or has more intricate workflows?
Sort your list according to what can be done in a few minutes and what will take longer.
4. Concentrate on one task at a time
According to a University of London study, persons who multitask have a lower IQ than those who did not sleep the night before. If you try to juggle many assignments and responsibilities, you will most likely be less effective. To combat the desire to multitask, consider the following:
- What are your most prevalent sources of distraction? (Email, social media, electronic devices, and so on.)
- Is it possible to turn off the devices or applications?
Turn off any and all devices you can. And, whatever you do, don’t go on to the next assignment until the one before it is finished. This may be a difficult habit to overcome, but it is worthwhile.
Distracting yourself requires discipline and practice. Do one item at a time, and if necessary, set a timer to help you focus.
5. Create Routines
A established regimen might also assist you in accomplishing your goals. Is your house quietest first thing in the morning? You should make a habit of using that time to study or read on a regular basis. The more frequently you do this, the less you’ll have to worry about when you’ll finish the tasks you need to complete that day.
Create routines around your and your family’s busiest times of day.
6. Make Good Use of Breaks
Tasks can be completed in the time between work, classes, events, and meetings. People who utilize the Pomodoro Technique, which was established in the 1990s, work in short bursts and take short, regular, timed breaks called “Pomodoros.” For example, you may set a timer for 25-minute sprints separated by 5-minute breaks away from your workspace. Take a longer break every fourth Pomodoro.
7. Take a Break
It is critical to make time for oneself. Long periods of study or working on homework should be broken up with time away from devices or textbooks. You need to relax your mind.
Many researchers have investigated the effects of meditation on stress-related diseases such as back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and insomnia. These research were compiled by the National Institutes of Health and published in “Meditation: In Depth,” which includes one study that says meditation improves the brain’s ability to comprehend information.
Meditation can take place anyplace there is a few minutes of silence. In the app store on your smartphone, look for free meditation apps.
8. Master the Art of Delegation
While your significant other, family members, or roommates cannot study for you, you might ask them to assist out around the house more while you pursue your education. Allowing people to assist you with household chores and errands will allow you to keep focused on your studies and coursework, or to take a well-deserved rest. Resist the impulse to do everything. What routine domestic tasks can you share with your friends and family?
To boost productivity:
- RescueTime-This program runs in the background of your desktop computer or smartphone, recording the amount of time you spend on various websites and apps and then providing a complete report on where you spent your time. Use this data to improve your browsing habits and work efficiency.
- Toggl-Use this free web-based time-tracking program to create projects and then measure the time you spend on them, allowing you to understand where your time is going and make adjustments as needed.
To establish objectives:
- Learn how to develop SMART goals—specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound objectives.
- The Balance has further information about goal setting.
