You’re up early, studying late, and juggling jobs, internships, research, your health, and a social life in between… phew. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it’s just your average student trying to manage life without imploding. No one said it was going to be easy, but there are definitely some resources and advice to help ease the process. Today I’m here to help share 8 time management tips for students that can help you take a breath and enjoy the crazy ride along the way to graduation.
1. Use an agenda.
I would be lost without my agenda… like literally wandering around my town aimlessly without a clue as to what I should be doing. Ok, so you might be a little more mentally organized than I am, but the power of an agenda still stands. You should know what your week holds before it starts, including the big to-dos for each day. This will help you be mentally prepared for each day as it comes, including starting your day with a solid idea of what you’ll need to do to be productive. It is one of the best time management tips for students.
Check out: How to achieve goals (7 Tips)
2. Be realistic.
Once you start getting into writing to-do lists, it gets addictive! But it’s also easy to get too wrapped into it and start making lists that just aren’t realistic. Could you smash five different goals in a day? For sure! Could you climb Everest, repaint your house, volunteer for 20 hours, and finish your master thesis by Friday? Probably not. No one knows you better than you, so try not to get too idealistic when it comes to your to-do list. If yesterday’s was done easily, amp it up, but if you’re already behind, take a step back and rearrange some things to keep you productive.
3. Do the hardest thing first.
Sometimes we feel like the most important thing is crossing things off our to-do list, but, in reality, the most important thing is getting the BIG things done. You know what I’m talking about – those tasks that make you want to pull your hair out, hide under a blanket, and instead waste five hours watching Tik Toks. We all have those dreaded tasks, but it’s been shown that getting them done FIRST will actually propel you to do more during the rest of your day. Look at it this way – it’s all downhill from there… in a good way!
4. Try the Pomodoro Technique.
If you’ve never heard of the Pomodoro technique, today it’s time you try it out! It’s been shown to increase productivity and make working much more efficient. All you have to do is work on one of your tasks for 25 minutes without interruption. This means no distractions or going on random websites or apps. Just focus for 25 minutes with a timer on. Once the 25 minutes is up, record what you’ve completed, and take a 5-minute non-electronic break. This means you walk around, grab a quick drink, look out the window, or anything that doesn’t involve screentime. After this, you do another 25 minutes of undistracted work followed by another break. After four rounds, you can take a longer 15 to 30-minute break. Pretty simple isn’t it? You’ll be surprised by how much you’re going to get done.
5. Do not multitask.
Society has long praised multitaskers as if they’re some sort of special species but, guess what? Recent studies have shown that constantly switching between tasks makes us more ineffective and more likely to make mistakes. So, instead of hopping between tasks and getting nothing productively done, focus on one thing at a time instead.
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6. Eliminate your distractions.
Put your phone in another room… did you just gasp? Yes, I said it. Your phone is the death of productivity. Don’t even try to argue with me on this one… you know it’s true, so just do yourself a favor and put your phone in another room or on airplane mode. When you’re done with your task, check it for five minutes or less. Eliminate other distractions as well, such as email notifications on your computer. The fewer distractions around you, the faster you’ll finish what’s really important.
7. Write things down.
If you are focusing on work and have something else pop you’re your mind, it’s easy to get distracted. I know I’m often working on a project when I start thinking about something random I’ve got to do next week or even wondering about how much it would cost to book a ticket to Asia if I quit my job tomorrow… just kidding. Or am I? The important thing is to not let these thoughts pull us away from the job at hand. Instead, jot down your thought on a post-It or scrap paper and look into it at the end of your day.
8. Start assignments early.
Ok procrastinator queen or king, yeah, I’m talking to you! We’re all guilty of it. The due date or exam seems miles away, so we push it to the back of our minds then – BOOM – suddenly it’s in twelve hours and you haven’t even started. To avoid this mess, break down your study plan or assignment into smaller steps. Even if you get only half of it done early, you’re still going to breathe a sigh of relief when it’s the day before and you’re not starting from zero… trust me.
Check out: How to get my life together (15 Steps)
Conclusion:
If you’ve already been doing a few of these time management tips, you’re on your way to being a more productive and successful student. If not, you can try to implement a few starting today to see how much they can help! Plus, if you know any additional tips, be sure to write them down in the comments. So there you have it 8 time management tips for students.