Have you ever planned to read a test at night just to fall asleep and wake up two hours before the test? Or maybe you put off reading a question and found it on the test, but you didn’t even look at it before entering the exam room. A lot of this happens to us when we are students, but I have learned that these experiences are an opportunity to plan or manage time better next time.
One popular saying is, “Lost time is never found,” and another says, “Time waits for no one.” That’s absolutely true, and I’ve certainly lived to know that there’s always a time for everything. Although, it’s all about what we choose to do at a particular time, this affects the outcome.
Effective time management plan
Throughout life, there is always something that takes us off course, and this takes a toll on our time and success. Time management is a very important aspect of an individual – whether a student or an entrepreneur.
Effective time management skills are crucial throughout one’s academic journey and professional life. In general, if we want to achieve bigger goals, we must be good at time management.
However, it is common to lose time, get stuck in traffic, or forget an assignment due date. In today’s modern world, simply using a wristwatch or calendar is no longer an effective way to manage time.
At this point, we wanted to explore the most trusted time management tips for students to ensure optimal efficiency and productivity, especially during exam time.
7 effective time management tips for students
There are many time management tips that students can utilize to escape stress, achieve class-life balance or perhaps excel academically. But check out the 7 most trusted time management tips any student can rely on.
1. Create a to-do list
Creating a to-do list is one of the best approaches to effective time management. Some people also stick to a schedule or schedule to make sure they get every task done on time. However, it’s not all about making a to-do list for the day or week, but also categorizing them by importance.
Prioritizing tasks helps us not to waste time on unimportant tasks or spend more time on tasks that need less time.
The Pareto’s principle is a simple and time-saving rule to follow. Developed by Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian engineer and economist, this principle shows the correlation between outputs and inputs. The Pareto Principle states that 80% of results are driven by 20% of inputs. In other words, 80% of your goals will come from 20% of your efforts and actions. Focusing on a few things at a time will bring you efficiency.
When applying the Pareto principle, one has to list all the tasks, identify the 20%, eliminate the unproductive tasks, and then implement the 80/20 rule. In general, you should be clear about any tasks you have to do in a day, a week, or a month. Then you have to identify the most important tasks (20%) that will yield 80% (expected results).
Once you have categorized all your tasks, it is essential that you identify the effective and ineffective tasks. You must remove them or entrust them. Then, implement the 80/20 rule by starting with the most important tasks. You can also reorder tasks or refocus priorities as you complete the most important tasks for optimal efficiency.
2. Use the Time Tracker
Most of us would agree that time management is essential, but there are times when we just don’t keep up with it. For example, you might plan to spend two hours on a task and complete it in four hours. Identifying the cause and eliminating distractions can help you manage your time better.
Thanks to technology, there are many time management tools besides the clock that can help you stay ahead of your time. With these tools, students can create to-do lists and organize their notes in one place for easy access. Some tools allow users to prioritize tasks by due date or sync notes across all devices.
Using at least one reliable time management tool can help you manage your time better, make more informed decisions, and become more organized and productive. If you are looking for time management tools, you can check out some tools like Trello, Evernote, My Homework Student Planner, Focus Booster, etc.
3. Using the POMODORO . technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a simple productivity trick that helps everyone work within the available time. If you are new to this time management technique, you may find it impractical or boring, but many people believe it.
The Pomodoro system requires a person to identify an available time or task and divide it into 25-minute intervals with a 5-minute break in between. The interval is called the Pomodoro, and for every four Pomodoros, one must take a longer break of 15-20 minutes.
Most people tend to feel like they have all day or a lot of time to complete a task, which increases sluggishness and inefficiency. The Pomodoro technique was born to instill a sense of urgency when a person is reminded to complete a task within a set time. It also helps a person pay attention to distractions and unnecessary activities like using the phone that can lead to poor time management.
This time management method can help increase focus and productivity, and also works well to reduce burnout. One could use a stopwatch, but there are many Pomodoro apps, such as Pomodoro Timer Lite and Focus Keeper, to help track productivity, ensure breaks between tasks, and master your time. friend.
4. Collaboration Tools
It is impossible to escape collaborative activities in today’s education system, especially in the corporate world. Collaboration is an effective way to increase knowledge, complete complex tasks efficiently, or coordinate remotely. The COVID-19 outbreak has led to greater demand for cross-sector collaboration tools.
When it comes to the field of education, collaboration tools are considered a dynamic learning technique with the potential to increase participation. Today, there are many collaboration tools that students can use to collaborate on projects or share timely feedback.
Some of these include Edmondo, FlipGrid, School Frindzy, Google Docs/Google Drive, etc. These tools come with different functionalities that allow student-teacher collaboration, content creation, assessment. process and share feedback.
5. Manage distractions
Planning is quite easy, but whenever we make plans, it is essential to also plan for the unexpected. Nothing affects academic performance like distractions and unexpected assignments. So whenever we make plans, we should always leave room for the unexpected. Distractions are everywhere and they can happen whether it’s online or in a physical classroom.
So what do you do when you study remotely but there is a lot of noise around that makes it difficult to concentrate? Try to find a safe and noise-free study environment to help you focus on your studies. That could be creating a dedicated study space that is soundproof and free of distracting elements like portraits or TV screens. You can also find a noise-free area in the case of on-campus learning.
Staying away from distractions will help you get your class assignments done at the right time and help you get rid of classroom stress and anxiety. It will also give you free time to build your social life or develop your talents. You should know that distractions are everywhere, but managing them effectively is one of the best ways to keep track of time.
6. Be flexible
Being flexible is like having a growth mindset. Students with a good degree of flexibility are largely unaffected by events or sudden changes in the system. For example, the 2020 outbreak has forced students to adopt a culture of distance or blended learning. Some students who are not flexible enough find it difficult to adapt to the new learning model.
Cognitive flexibility is important for teachers and learners to move at the same speed. In general, cognitive flexibility allows students to adopt new learning systems without hesitation, embrace new experiences, and deal with anxiety in the classroom. When it comes to our professional lives, cognitive flexibility allows us to deal with or manage people effectively.
Student life is all about flexibility because there are times when you will have to read while surrounded by noisy people. Or look for a suitable place to continue reading instead of postponing it. We all know how boring studying can be, so it’s up to you to experiment with schedules to find the times when you’re most productive to help you manage your time. reasonable way.
7. Avoid procrastination
We’ve all done it before, and we probably still do it. If you’re not sure if you’re a procrastinator, take a few minutes to assess yourself. Do you take tasks with a future deadline and delay them just to complete them overnight before sending them off the next day? Do you sometimes find yourself racing against time to meet a deadline, but still have a whole week to complete the task?
Procrastination is the tendency to delay or postpone activities in the belief that there is still time to do them. Procrastination may not always be bad, but it increases inefficiencies because there are more opportunities for activity during peak hours. Letting go of procrastination can help you improve yourself and how you value time.
In short, poor time management affects punctuality and can lead to lost opportunities. Being sensitive to time in school life can contribute to one’s success in the professional field. We’ve spent some time here discovering the most trusted time management tips for students, and we believe they can make a big difference in the way you manage your time.
Featured Image Credits: Provided by the author; Thank you!
