Are you entering your first year of college, or are you returning to college again to upgrade your skills? Does the whole academic experience overwhelm you because there isn’t enough time? Learning how to manage your time is an essential skill development as it is a pathway to academic success. By being strategic about your time, you will prioritize your studies, giving yourself more time to think and process newly acquired information. By using effective time management, you will reduce your overall anxiety and stress levels.
However, keeping a consistent schedule can be challenging, especially when there are many competing demands such as work, family, and everything else. Sometimes, it can be plain old procrastination where you want to avoid unpleasant tasks. Or you are a perfectionist, which may inhibit you from even starting. However, adopting some time management techniques will change your mindset, whether you dread the task or feel overwhelmed. Here are some practical tips for time management.
Digital Assignment Planner
Here is an interactive tool, Assignment Planner, that may help you with any number of assignments. This tool will break down the tasks into manageable steps after entering the following information: assignment type, start, and due date. You will then have an action plan to get started.
At the start of the term, look at your course syllabus for assignments/project due dates. Then, add them to your calendar.
Once you know all your assignment deadlines, you can begin by breaking down tasks into smaller ones. If you had to write an essay due in a month, you must complete many steps before submitting it. For example,
- Selecting a topic
- Researching the topic
- Developing a thesis
- Writing a draft
- Editing draft
- Finalizing essay
After seeing how many steps are involved, start adding a deadline for each of those tasks up to the actual deadline for the essay. It is essential to give yourself a balance of the deadline between being realistic and not underestimating the actual needed to complete each one.
There are ways that you can stay on track for your major assignments. One way is goal setting with the SMART method, and the other is to block time with the Pomodoro technique.
Goal-Setting
The SMART method is a valuable way to set goals. It stands for Specific, measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Time-Blocking
The Pomodoro technique involves working in periods of twenty-five minutes with five minutes as a break. It’s great if you want to ease into something unfamiliar, or perhaps it’s something you are familiar with, and you quickly get it off your to-do list. After completing four rounds of Pomodoro, take a twenty-minute break. Continue this until you have accomplished your goal.
Reducing Procrastination
The “Eat the Frog” method is a way of reducing procrastination. ‘Frog’ is a metaphor used to refer to tasks that are high priority. When you are “eating the frog,” you tackle the most challenging things first thing in the morning. This method has several benefits, as it enhances tasks efficiently with a fresh mind and the emotional freedom it gives from overcoming procrastination, thereby improving work-life balance. An alternative to ‘eat the frog’ is ‘structured procrastination,’ where you pick on any task on your to-do list. Most often, low-priority tasks are completed before higher-priority tasks.
