Introduction
Students today have a very difficult job. Many students have to balance their time between studying, part-time employment, and their personal lives. School assignments, work shifts, exams, and then social obligations all compete for one’s time and attention. At times, it can feel overwhelming. The key to excelling at whatever one chooses to do is time management. If students know how to manage their time wisely, they can minimize stress, reach their goals, and enjoy a balanced life.
The following article will provide practice suggestions to help students use their time wisely and maintain out of an “out of control” state without burning out.
Why Time Management is Important for Students
Time is one of the most valuable resources of a student. Time cannot be saved or replaced like money can; once time is lost it is lost. Poor time management can lead to mismanagement of stress, missed deadlines, low grades and ultimately burnout. But for students who effectively manage their time their overall well-being improves and they will notice:
Greater academic achievement
Improved balance between school, work, and other life roles
Decreased stress and anxiety
Improved efficacy and motivation
Being able to effectively manage your time is not about being able to achieve more in a shortened time frame, but rather about being able to identify the appropriate time to achieve the appropriate things!
1. Develop a Practical Schedule
The first step in your time management process is to develop a daily or weekly schedule. Putting it on paper makes it specific, and allows for follow through.
Start with your fixed commitments: classes, work shifts, and necessary routines.
Next, is a good time for studying, and set blocks for study time.
Don’t forget to schedule meals and physical activity and downtime.
A properly developed schedule will not only help you to determine what to do, but it will eliminate wasting your time thinking about what to do next.
2. Use the “Eisenhower Matrix,” to prioritize your tasks
Not all tasks have the same level of importance—some are urgent, some are important, some are distractions. The “Eisenhower Matrix” is beneficial for college students because it helps them classify tasks in four categories:
Important and Urgent – Do now, for example, an assignment due tomorrow.
Important and Not Urgent – Plan to do later, for example, studying for a exam next month.
Urgent and Not Important – Delegate or minimize, for example, answering unimportant messages.
Not Urgent and Not Important – Eliminate, for example, scrolling through posts on social media for hours.
Learning how to prioritize is essential, and enables students to focus on what really matters.
3. Make Effective Use of Technology
Current students are perpetually surrounded by technology—and this technology can be distracting or supportive of your time management strategy. For example: Google Calendar or Notion for planning your schedule.
Pomodoro Timer apps to stay focused while studying. Task management tools like Trello or Todoist to keep track of assignments.
However, the challenge is to remember that technology should not waste your time. It can easily distract you from your work, especially social media.
4. Break Large Goals into Small Jobs
Assignments or preparing for exams can often feel overwhelming. Instead of cramming the night before an assignment is due, break it into smaller jobs. For example, if your research paper is due in three weeks, you could plan it out like this:
Week 1: Research and collect sources.
Week 2: Create a draft.
Week 3: Edit and finalize.
By breaking large goals into smaller jobs, you reduce the stress of getting it all done at once and you can achieve progress without feeling pressure.
5. Don’t Forget About Rest and Personal Life
Time management isn’t all about working as much as possible.
In fact, rest is a component of productivity. You won’t be as effective without appropriate breaks, sleep, and social time.
Make sure to take breaks every 50-60 minutes of studying.
Make sure to sleep at least 7-8 hours every night.
Make sure to spend time with friends, family, or hobbies to recharge your batteries.
A well-balanced life will enable you to approach studies (or work) with more focus and motivation when you resume.
6. Learn to Say “No”
When it comes to time management challenges, maybe what you will face as a student could be the biggest one – trying to do everything. Let it be known that there are not enough hours in the day, between student clubs, social activities, part-time jobs, and class commitments, it is not unsurprising feeling overwhelmed. Students can read about making priorities and planning, but if they can’t learn to say no to the unimportant commitments, they will struggle. Every time a student is saying yes to something unimportant, they are saying no to something more important. This could being productive studying or simply a break to use time more efficiently.
7. Dealing with Surprises
No matter how well you organize, there will be surprises: a pop quiz, a family crisis, or a change in your work shift. Time management means you can be flexible. When planning your schedule, always leave some open time. When plans fall apart do not panic to reassess and move on. Flexibility in time management is just as important as being disciplined.
8. Develop the Habit
Time management is not a task; it is a habit. Students can develop the habit of time management by checking their schedules daily and adjusting it when necessary. With practice, time management will become almost second nature.
Conclusion
For any student balancing school, work and life can be overwhelming. To help ensure you are not only productive in your studies, but also have time to enjoy life, you can adopt effective strategies. The strategies you can adopt include building a schedule, prioritizing, using technology wisely, and not dismissing time off.
Time time is our only non-renewable resource; once it is gone, there is no getting it back! Learning to manage time effectively can provide students the foundation to unlock their potential, be a successful student, and ultimately live a healthier, happier and well-rounded life.
