Time Management – What is it?
Time management is simply identifying what needs to be done along with how we spend our time and re-organizing our to do list. Here are a few tips to help you take control of your time.
Time Management Tips
While the time management strategies shared previously are broader and more foundational, these time management tips can be used in your daily and weekly study habits.
Routine
Identify how many hours a week you need to devote to each class. Determine the consistent times in your schedule you will devote to your coursework. This will help you develop the habit of studying at regular times instead of procrastinating and panicking when an assignment is due.
Minimize Distractions
You probably already know what keeps you from focusing, so be intentional to minimize distractions while you are studying. Maybe that means turning off your phone, setting a timer during a study break to limit your social media, walking the dog before you start studying, using noise canceling headphones, finding a separate and quiet place to study, or recording your favorite TV show to watch later. If you don’t manage distractions, what should take you one hour could wind up sucking three hours from your day.
Task Master
Go over the syllabus to become familiar with all of the course requirements, such as number of online weekly discussion posts, as well as all assignments and their deadlines. Create a calendar, either digitally or in a planner, with all due dates. Set up reminders, if needed, to keep you on track. If you are taking more than one course, do this for each one and designate your study times for particular classes.
Small Steps
Making incremental progress and setting goals for a project will help you better manage your time rather than crunching at the last minute and not doing your best work. Some of a course’s tasks can be completed in one study session. Others are more complex and will require reading, research, and extensive writing. Rather than simply putting due dates on the calendar for these assignments, break them down into smaller steps and assign a due date to each.
Take Breaks
Divide up your study times into 30 minute or hour segments, taking 10 to 15-minute breaks in between to clear your mind. Grabbing a cup of coffee, listening to part of a podcast, reading a book, sketching or walking around the block can energize you to dive back in.
Be careful to manage your break-time also!
-RG