One of the things that students are having a hard time learning is how to manage their time well. Finding a balance between school, work, and play is indeed challenging. That results in not getting assignments done on time, cramming to study for exams, or worse fail a subject or two.
Why is time management important for students?
To avoid going through the circumstances above, as a student, you should start practising time management now.
Why? It’s because time management allows you to get more things done. It’s how you efficiently manage your time to cover all the things you need to do within the day, week, or months.
Moreover, practising time management and doing it proficiently reduces stress. Since you can finish your homework/projects on time, get enough time to study, you can now have time to do your hobbies, hang out with friends, or just do Netflix and chill.
Further, learning how to manage your time well also affect how you will handle things in the future. Going into the real world is hectic. To be able to manage all the responsibilities that will be thrown in your adulthood, you need to manage your time well first.
Tips on how to improve time management skills
Start writing down all activities
Record every single activity that is related to your study- exams, quizzes, project deadlines, homework, and so on. Doing so allows you to have a full view of the things you need to do, and at the same time helps you to decide what to do first according to its urgency and importance.
Do time blocking
Now to the fun part, at least for me, is blocking off chunks of time to do or focus on a specific activity. You can spare two or more hours for studying, or two hours for homework projects etc. Time blocking helps you to maximize your time well.
Don’t procrastinate
Procrastination is the enemy of success. True enough, doing homework and studying at the last minute will prevent you from reaching your full potential as a student. It will affect your result, albeit not to the point of failing. Knowing that you could have done better but chose not to, sucks.
Besides, doing things at the last minute is very stressful. Start studying or doing homework and projects now. Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today.
Don’t multitask
Students have a lot of things to do, I know. That is why they tend to multitask to finish things on time. However, multitasking doesn’t help. On the contrary, it only makes things even more stressful.
Avoid distractions
Apart from procrastination, distraction is also a hurdle for students. It is everywhere, from phones, talking to roommates, Netflix etc. During the time you block for a specific activity, set your phone into silent mode or tell your roomie to chatter with you after an hour or two. Hunger or drowsiness can be a distraction too, so make sure you have enough sleep and snacks ready just in case.
Take breaks
Let your brain and your body recharge. Take a short break from time to time. Go out for a walk or take a breath of fresh air for 5-10 minutes, anything that will get you out from being glued to your computer or books.
Tools for time management
In learning time management and for you to be efficient on it, you need to use tools that will help you achieve it. Below is a list of organizing tools you can use to manage your time well in 2022.
This calendar allows you to see 3 months at the same time. You don’t have to rewrite all your schedule or notes on the new set of pages. This calendar has a unique move-a-page feature that allows you to remove your month from its panel and then very easily place it in the desired panel. It is an optional feature as every panel has a full set of monthly pages.
Seeing your schedule at a glance anytime is very helpful. Not just for a month, but three months.
If you want something you can carry and bring with you wherever you go, this planner fits you. It has a separate monthly and weekly spread to plan your schedule. Each week has daily, hourly and 15 minutes slots for time blocking. So if time blocking is a new concept for you, this planner is the answer.
If you want to focus on time blocking ‘coz you find it fun as well, then this planner suits you best. This planner has 4 columns on each page and opens to 8 columns. You can dedicate each column to every subject you have. That will make studying and planning easier.
If you still struggle with managing your time well, no need to feel down. This 2022, start practising time management seriously until it becomes a habit. Once it becomes a part of your habit, you will reap the benefit of it even after finishing school.