Introduction
Most of the time, people see university life as exciting, but on the other hand, it is equally tiring in terms of increased burden. There is a burden of lectures, assignments, exams, and for most of the students, it’s a part-time job. Due to all this, students are unable to manage their tim,e which leads to stress, missing deadlines. Time management is a very important skill for university-going students.
Whether you are a student with a part-time job, want to take part in extra-curricular activities, or manage social life with ongoing coursework, time management is going to help you throughout and run all these responsibilities smoothly. In this article, we have discussed hacks that are going to help you with time management as a university student.
Start with a Clear Student Study Planner
Make a study planner to help you manage your valuable time. You can make it in a notebook or a digital app according to your wish. But make sure you follow it with consistency. If you prefer a digital study planner, then there are some tools that will help you, such as Google Calendar, Notion, or Todoist.
With a study planner, you can plan your daily, weekly, or monthly tasks easily, keeping a track of your assignment deadlines for all subjects separately. Once things are marked in the planner, there is no chance of forgetting any important tasks.
To point out your important tasks, use different colors. Have a look at your planner every morning and make changes to it according to your routine changes (if any).
Apply the Eisenhower Matrix for Prioritization
Plan your tasks according to their urgent completion. Write all the important tasks, but arrange them according to what is urgent and needs to be done first. It gives priority to the most urgent work in your to-do list, then to the second most urgent work, and so on. This is called the Eisenhower Matrix. This matrix helps you to focus on tasks that are urgent as compared to the ones that can wait. For example, it is more important and urgent to prepare for tomorrow’s exam than working on an assignment whose deadline is next week; it is also important, but not urgent. This matrix not only saves your energy but also saves your time by preventing you from spending time on less important tasks.
Master the Pomodoro Technique
To study without losing your interest and changing your focus, the Pomodoro technique is there to help you out. Studying continuously for 25 minutes and then taking a short break for 5 minutes, after you have completed four cycles like this, take a long break of 15-30 minutes. In that break, avoid screen time instead, stretch your body, go for a short walk, and drink water. This will let you focus better while reducing the chances of getting tired easily. Short breaks help your brain to rest, and you can learn things easily. Learning without losing interest and getting tired will keep you consistent. For this purpose, you can use a timer and also tools like Focus Booster or Forest.
Plan Your Week with a Study Schedule
To manage your workload and avoid getting overburdened, one should plan a weekly schedule for studies. Those who plan in advance are most likely to get good grades and perform well in their academics. Plan before the exam days to avoid stress, and according to your preference, which means some students study well at night while some study in the morning, so keep your difficult topics when you are most focused. Keep some extra time for lengthy topics. Take short breaks in between for your personal relaxation; this will prevent you from draining your energy. It is good to strictly follow the plan, but don’t over-stress.
Learn How to Stop Procrastinating
Procrastination is the most challenging thing that you will face in managing time for your studies. When students feel that a certain task is too boring or lengthy, they lose interest and quit. What you can do is break your bigger tasks into smaller parts to make it easier for you to finish. Start with the easiest task and then proceed to the hard ones. Set deadlines for yourself when you complete smaller tasks of a big project, and do not forget to reward yourself once they are done. Keep yourself away from screen time while completing the tasks so that you remain focused on your work. You will only need to build self-control to help you with this challenge.
Balance University and Work Effectively
It is a very common practice that students do part-time jobs to support themselves and pay their semester fees. But to balance their university and work life is very difficult at times. What matters most is balancing them both effectively so that your grades are not affected. Discuss with your manager about the timings of your job before joining the office to avoid any problems in future. Offices usually operate on weekdays, so keep weekends for your self-study. Try not to overburden yourself during exams and reduce working hours during that time. Never feel shy to talk to your course instructor whenever there is a clash in timings, so that your attendance never gets compromised.
Use Digital Tools to Streamline Productivity
In this digital era, there are various apps to help you out with time management and decrease your workload. These tools will help you with all sorts of scheduling work at university. They are time savers and help you to be carefree while managing your studies.
Some of the recommended tools for time management are as follows;
Notion combines notes, tasks, and calendars all in one app.
Google Calendar makes a schedule for studies and also sets reminders.
Trello keeps a track of your tasks visually with boards and checklists present.
Evernote helps you form notes from your class lectures.
Sync your apps with all the other devices you use and turn on notifications so that you won’t miss any updates, and prepare for your tasks on time.
Learn to say “No”
University life comes with events, webinars, concerts, and other social gatherings. Some are valuable to attend, but not every time. If you attend every other gathering, which is impossible, it will affect your grades eventually, and you will get less time for your studies. So, be a part of these events only if they are really important. There is no harm in saying ‘no’ politely due to your academic preferences. Saying no does not mean you are an introvert or rude; it only means that you prefer your academics over anything, and you just want to save your energy and time.
Avoiding Burnout through Rest and Balance
Whenever planning time management schedules, never overlook rest. If you work continuously without taking a rest, it will cause damage to your health. Taking time for your well-being is most important in this fast-paced world. When you burn yourself out with workload, you will be unable to perform well in your tasks because your brain too needs to rest and recharge. Take proper 7-8 hours of sleep daily to recharge your body. Take short breaks from work or study to relax and utilise that time for any activity of your own choice. Remember that your health comes first than any other work.
- Reflect and Adjust Regularly
Time management is not for once; to be punctual with this practice, one has to be consistent. You time, you become more efficient and make changes to it according to yourself. The new semester brings new challenges, so make changes to your schedule according to the changes in your workload. Keep a track of your time management schedule every day so that it remains effective throughout.
In conclusion
Time management will not only help you catch assignment deadlines, but it will also help you in your personal life. It helps you to manage work and studies while keeping your mental health sane. Making a study planner using AI tools and techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and Matrix Planning, and creating a balance between work and study life, will make your life easier and less stressful.
You get to learn a lot and grow throughout your university life. When you make an effective study planner, master the skill of completing work before deadlines without procrastination, without getting overburdened, and manage tasks smoothly, you not only start scoring high in academics, but it also impacts your overall success in life. You just have to be consistent, and you will have plenty of time to enjoy your university life with your studies side by side.
Written by Subyna
