Time management
Learn how to juggle study and recreation, family and friends, work and rest by managing your time.
Planning your time
”Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today. Let us begin.”
Mother Teresa.
To be the master of your own time, you need to know what you need to do and what you want to do. Prioritising what is important and planning ahead can be hard, but this is how you can remain in control of your time.
Start planning
In order to manage your time, begin by looking at how you can plan so you can make the best use of each day.
Start by looking at:
- What you need to do
- When you need to do it by
- How long it will take
Then, schedule these tasks on a timetable and allocate an estimated time of completion for each one.
Establish priorities
To be a successful planner, you need to establish priorities. To help with this, Covey’s Urgent/Important matrix is a tool for thinking about effective ways to manage time. It is divided into four sections: Important, Not important, Urgent and Not urgent.
The purpose of each section is to classify an activity depending on its urgency and importance:
- Unimportant activities should be avoided or minimised.
- Important activities should be prioritised and given more focus.
Planning your semester
Now that you’ve established your priorities, you can start planning. Firstly, record your priorities for the semester ahead. Use a planner to record the dates of:
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Tests
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Exams
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Assignment due dates
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Social events and family time
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Paid work commitments
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Holidays
Have your planner in a place that is easily accessed or viewed. Update it and refer to it regularly. It gives you an important overview of everything that needs to be done and how it all fits together.
Plan your weeks
Once you’ve established your priorities for the semester, you can work on weekly planning.
Use a weekly planner to:
Planning your day
You will also benefit from planning day to day. As each new day approaches, review your week plan to make sure that it is up to date. Make a 'to do' list for each day if this will help focus your activities.
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Be active with your plan. Tick off completed tasks and keep a check on uncompleted activity
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Avoid overburdening your day plan – only set out to complete realistic tasks
Useful links and apps
Avoiding self-sabotage
Unfortunately, many people sabotage their own time management. This might sound very familiar! Here are some ideas to avoid self-sabotage.
Avoiding procrastination
Procrastination means putting things off until another time. It seems to be human nature that we tend to delay doing the unpleasant things in life, but not the fun ones!
Why do we procrastinate?
It is common for people to procrastinate by occupying themselves with tasks unrelated to the object at hand.
The most common reasons for procrastinating:
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Feeling overwhelmed: A sudden onslaught of deadlines combined with poor time management can distort your sense of time, and without prioritising your work, it may feel impossible. This in turn may create feelings of anxiety and stress, which will hinder the work process.
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Task difficulty: You may be unsure how to start a task, or what is expected of you to complete it. This can be a common problem, as tertiary study involves mastering knowledge and concepts that may be new and challenging.
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Disliking the task: Many students procrastinate if they find their work boring or unpleasant.
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Perfectionism: Students can set unrealistically high standards for themselves. Fear of not meeting these standards can cause procrastination.
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Poor concentration: A work environment full of distractions can make it difficult to focus on the task at hand.
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Lack of motivation: All of the above can make you feel less motivated about completing your work.
What happens when we procrastinate?
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High levels of stress and anxiety when assignments are due
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Feelings of guilt
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Work that is not up to standard
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Failed assignments
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Relationship problems
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Health problems such as sleeplessness and tension headaches
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Failing to achieve things you want to do in life
“Procrastination is like a credit card; it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.”
Christopher Parker.
How to stop procrastinating
Work and study productivity tips
4:58Spending your time
How do you spend your time?
Think about the following questions:
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When you try to manage your time, what is your biggest issue? (procrastination, too busy, forgetting deadlines and meetings, etc.)
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What's one method/strategy you could use to address the issue you identified?
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Think about an average week in your life:
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What are your most important commitments?
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What do you waste time on?
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Are there any changes you can make to better balance your time?
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How good is your time management?
Take this self-test quiz to identify the aspects of time management that you need most help with.
Self assessment
Time and your wellbeing
Managing your time can sometimes be stressful. Here are a few tips for better health, better time management, and better grades:
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Do your most difficult work when you have the most energy. Think about the time of day you are most effective and have the most energy. Plan to do your most difficult work during these times.
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Know when to stop. Although some people may stay up until 4 a.m. studying, it’s not a healthy habit. Your mind is more efficient when you get enough quality sleep, so make sure to schedule enough time for rest.
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Reach out for help. If you feel you need assistance with your mental or physical health, talk to an Student Success, a counsellor or visit a doctor.
References
Attributions
Hero image: Aerial crops by Tom Fisk. Licensed under a Pexels.com license
Stop Sabotaging Your Personal Time Management! Glenn Hirsch, Ph D., Learning and Academic Skills Centre, University of Minnesota. Retrieved from http://www.sass.umn.edu/pdfs/IV%20Life%20Balance/Time%20Management/Time%20Management%20Tips/4.2.28%20STOP%20SABOTAGING%20YOUR%20time.pdf Permission to reproduce for non-profit educational use only.
