Time management is something that every responsible human being wants to have a command on, especially the busy university students, who are constantly struggling with managing the time between the things they want to do and the things they have to do. With a lot of distractions around, efficient time management has become a painstakingly challenging task for the university students who have to maintain a balance between different priorities in life, such as attending classes physically, listening to virtual lectures, preparing the assignments, studying, giving time to the family and friends, keeping up with the latest trends and active lifestyle and what not. Sometimes, they even end up hiring essay writing UK services to keep up with the assignments and term papers.
In the life of a busy university student, time management is easier said than done but if it is done right, you will be able to establish a lifestyle that will stay with you forever and you will achieve a lot more in less time which would be difficult otherwise.
Now, the real question is, what should I do in my busy chaotic student life in order to manage my time more efficiently? Here, we are presenting some very useful time management tips for the busy university students in order to keep them on top.
• Make Sure Your Work is Thoroughly Defined Via “Things-To-Do” List
For effective time management, you should start by creating a “Things-to-do” list. Identify the things that you are supposed to do and then write them down on a paper, based on the urgency and difficulty level of the task. Assign a time slot to those tasks as well. A well defined checklist will enable the busy university students to get a clearer vision of how productive their day can possibly be. It will be useful in breaking down the big tasks in manageable units. Also, keep the list at a place that is easily accessible like on a refrigerator, post-it notes, mirror or on your electric gadget.
• Prioritise the Tasks to Stay on Top of Your Class
Now that your checklist is good to go, you need to decide on the tasks that are of foremost importance and should be done before the others. Get yourself a daily or weekly planner which will be the best friend of a busy university student for effective time management. In order to make it more easily accessible, you can even colour-coordinate the tasks by importance and deadline to get a clearer picture of what needs to be done first. It will also ensure that you haven’t missed any task mistakenly. The plus point would be that that the colourful documents will be quite a sight for the sore eyes.
• Look Out for Potential Time-Wasters
Being a busy university student, it must be unaffordable for you to waste your precious time in useless activities; otherwise you will lag behind in your classroom. You must be well aware of your surroundings and the elements that can divert your focus away and waste your time. It can be anything, like constantly checking social media, playing games, browsing uselessly through the internet and answering calls that can wait. You might be tempted to do some of these activities in between, but set a goal to avoid it and dedicate your undivided attention to the task at hand. In fact, you should finish the tasks and then reward yourselves with these activities.
• Have a Productive Schedule
If one is not careful, every 10-15 minutes task can take around an hour of more. To counter that, put in some efforts and establish a realistic studying schedule as per your abilities and potential. A clearly defined schedule will assist you in dedicating the adequate amount of time for curricular and extra-curricular activities. Remember, while creating a schedule, you should be honest to yourself about how long you will take to complete a task. You can create your schedule by breaking down your time in 15-30 minutes (or more) blocks and deciding what you will be doing in those time windows. By utilising this method, you will be left with the plenty of additional time slots where you can do the things that you enjoy doing. This will also leave a pleasant impact on your mental health and once the task is met, you will counter the sense of fulfillment.
• Divide Your Workload Wisely with Pomodoro Technique
If you are constantly being interrupted by technology or anything else, you should definitely use Pomodoro Technique to manage your time. The technique was found in 1990s and people used it for working in short intervals and short and timely breaks. First you can select a task you would like to work on and then set up a timer for 25 minutes, and then you will work continuously on that task for the next 25 minutes without any distractions. This 25 minutes working slot will be followed by a 5 minutes break or “Pomodoros”. You can repeat these steps as per your need and liking. Take a longer break after every fourth pomodoro and you are good to go.
• Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle is a Step Closer to Successful Time Management
Looking after yourself can contribute to successful time management. When people tell you to get a sufficient amount of sleep, they are not just playing around. People often rely on cutting back on sleep, when they have tasks lined up, which is very unproductive for learning. Getiing an adequate amount of sleep can increase your alertness and saves your time, contrarily. Followed by that, regular physical exercises can boost up your energy and your mind will be more engaged in the classroom.
Time management is not a piece of cake, but it doesn’t have to happen all at once. With commitment and dedication, you can gradually make small changes in your life and add up on them overtime to have a desirable and stress-free lifestyle.
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