Time is a limited resource. Balancing responsibilities at your internships, home, and college can be challenging. Regardless of what you do, you are always left with the same twenty-four hours in a day to manage all the tasks, spend time with family and friends, and unwind. By planning and using time wisely, you will accomplish more and relax in your new free time.
Here are some tips that may help you manage your time more wisely:
1. Goal Setting
It’s almost impossible to use time well if you don’t recognize what to do with it. You can benefit from creating short- and long-term goals. Identify Time-Wasters and Set Goals. No matter what is wasting your time, set a goal to not engage in this behavior during dedicated study time. For instance, a short-term goal may include completing your homework early each day, so you have ample time to pursue your hobbies. Your long-term goal might be to consistently prepare for an entrance exam by having a fixed duration to study for it every day.
2. Plan Ahead
Identify what you need to do, and create a plan for it. Making a daily plan to organize your tasks will help you save time and help you navigate through the tasks more efficiently. This includes having a consistent time and regularly, tuning out those distractions, and avoiding surfing the internet. Having a plan will make sure that you know what to do and when.
3. Prioritization
By assessing what needs to be achieved within a given timeframe, tasks can be prioritized according to their importance. Setting priorities for every day, week, month, and year will facilitate students to accomplish their goals. It helps to ensure activities that are vitally necessary but not urgent – such as personal devotions, adequate sleep, and exercise – are given precedence.
4. Don’t multitask
Divided attention is an inefficient way to learn. Concentrate on one task at a time for maximum productivity. Multitasking can decrease your productivity. Focus on one assignment at a time and “zero-in” on the specific task at hand, whether that’s studying for an examination, reading a textbook, emailing a faculty member, or taking part in an online forum. Arrange your tasks in order of importance, and concentrate on the three or four crucial tasks that require the most effort.
5. Block Distractions
Make sure to avoid surfing the web excessively. It is easy to become distracted by the news or your favorite celebrity gossip website. Stay focused, and avoid Facebook, Twitter, and alternative social media tools when you need to focus on your studies.
The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the late 1980s by then-college student Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo was struggling to concentrate on his studies and complete assignments. Feeling overwhelmed, he asked himself to attempt to simply ten minutes of focused study time. Inspired by the challenge, he found a tomato (Pomodoro in Italian) shaped kitchen timer, and the Pomodoro technique was born.
Its biggest strength is its simplicity:
- Get a to-do list and a timer.
- Set your timer for 25 minutes, and focus on a single task until the timer rings.
- Once your session ends, mark off one Pomodoro and record what you completed.
- Then enjoy a five-minute break.
- After four pomodoros, take a longer, more restorative 15-30 minute break.
- Reward yourself!
It’s important to reward yourself once a job is well done to avoid burnout. Otherwise, it will be difficult to focus on even the simplest tasks.
You can reward yourself by celebrating your accomplishments and treating yourself to something you enjoy, whether that’s watching your favorite show on Netflix or going on a pleasant dinner and a movie. If you have been working on an assignment for many months in a row, then take a week off after you are finished.
Time management is a well-known trait among successful people. Many successful people have some form of morning routine like rising early, exercising, eating a healthy breakfast, and doing their most challenging task first. Successful people like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, don’t overfill their schedules. Rather, both of them attribute successful time management to leaving plenty of free spaces in their schedules that allow flexibility for handling unexpected circumstances. It also gives them time to focus on their passions.
We hope this article provides you an idea about how you should manage your time to become more productive.
Scholarship Track 