Time Management Tips

The beginning of the semester is always stressful when professors talk about all the assignments you need to be able to complete to successfully finish your semester. But don’t worry, with good time management skills you can make your semester a little less stressful. Here is a list of few time management skills that can help you throughout your semester. 

1) Use a planner

Use a planner or a calendar on your computer or on your phone to keep up with your assignments. This is the easiest way to not forget about what is coming up next. This can help you eliminate many all-nighters because you forgot about this 10 page paper that is due the next morning. 

2) Plan ahead

Try to start your big assignments well ahead of time. If I have a longer paper due Friday night, I always try to have it done the weekend before, so during the week I can make edits and not stress about it not getting done on time. Another way to plan ahead is to think about all the things you want to accomplish the next day and make a to-do list for these. That way you already know in the morning what do you need to get done on that day. 

3) Focus on one task at the time

You should focus on a single task when trying to get something done. There is no need to keep checking if that grade was posted or scrolling on your phone when you have a task on hand. Playing a game on your phone or checking your social media apps can be a reward at the end of finished assignment. Don’t try to do these things at the same time. 

4) Set time limits to your social media apps

Setting limits to your social media apps can help you not procrastinate as much when you have to work on an assignment that you might not enjoy the most. If you only have 45minutes allowed for all your social media apps for the day, you won’t scroll through these endlessly every day and you have more time to get things done.

5) Set a time limit to each task

Limiting the time for each task can help you keep yourself accountable. For example, if you have a 4 page paper due about your family, you can limit that assignment for 2 hours, so if you started at 4pm, you should be finished with it by 6pm. You can always add buffers between the tasks, so if one tasks takes a little longer, you don’t loose time on the other task.

6) Use your time wisely

You can spend a lot of time on using a bus on campus or driving somewhere. During these rides you can also study for your upcoming test or read the chapter that is your homework for the next class. When finishing that chapter during the bus ride you have extra time at home to focus on something else. It is all about using your time wisely.

7) You can say no

Finally, you can ALWAYS say no. If you already have a night planned for finishing a paper or doing homework or maybe even a self-care night of you binging on Netflix show, you can say no to the dinner invitation or a friend who needs help with studying. I know you don’t want to upset anyone, but the most important person is you and you should do what is best for you. And you should never sacrifice your self-care time on someone else.

I hope you find these time management tips helpful and will use them to have successful semester 🙂