Something that everyone struggles with from time to time (if you pardon the pun), and something I'm definitely trying to work on as my life gets busier.
Time management is something that is very challenging but it is key to achieving success. It's all about juggling study, work, family, friends, hobbies, relaxing, travel, and just general day-to-day life activities.
First of all it's good to think about how you're managing your time, and focusing on studying - how much time you spend in study, and how well you use that time. I'm going to share 10 steps to effective time management that I learnt from The Study Skills Handbook.
10 Steps to Good Time Management
1. Be systematic
Think about how you use your time, and plan how you could manage it better.
2. Find out your time requirements
It's a good idea to find a pattern of study that factors in how much time you will need to complete certain tasks.
3. Clarify how you use your time now
Like how long does it take you to get ready in the morning, how long it takes for you to get to uni, or thanks to the new iPhone update we can now see how long we spend on our screens on an average day... :/ Sometimes where we think our time goes, isn't actually where it goes.
4. Decide how you want to use your time
Think about your ideal situation. How much time you would want to be spending/need to be spending on studying compared to going out or doing other activities. Compare this to how much you are spending now to see what changes need to be made.
5. Prioritise
This is something that I do all the time. Sometimes looking at all the things that need to be done can be daunting and stressful, but if you prioritise tasks then things are completed much more efficiently.
6. Plan
Keep a diary or a planner to help with planning out your time. Working backwards from deadlines can be a really good way to visualise what needs to be done and when.
7. Do it
Yep just follow the plan! Ok yes it sounds a lot easier than it actually is but it's a good idea to stick to it as best you can, and work out what might sabotage your schedule.
8. What works for you
Experiment with different ways of saving and managing time to see what works for you as everyone works in different ways and everyone's lives are different.
9. Manage distractions and procrastination
Probably the hardest part of time management. Just try to work out what your distractions are so that you can try and prevent these as much as you can.
10. Monitor your progress
It's a good idea to see if you're still on track. If you've dropped off of the plan slightly then you can make some changes to get you back on track, or treat yourself if you've stayed on target!
I hope a few of these tips will help you to time manage your studies or workload. Or just to have a little think about your work/life balance.
x
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