Balancing coursework, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and social life requires effective time management skills. That’s why we’ve put together this blog post to help you navigate your busy schedule and make the most out of your study time.

In this handbook, you'll find practical and actionable tips to help you manage your time better as a student. Each tip is designed to be simple yet effective, ensuring you can apply them to your daily routine without feeling overwhelmed. From setting priorities to using technology effectively, we’ve got you covered.

Effective time management is all about being organised and making the best use of your available time. The following ten tips will help you to prioritise your tasks, set realistic goals, and maintain a healthy balance between your academic responsibilities and personal life. Let’s dive into these strategies that will help you take control of your time and achieve your academic goals.

 

What's in This Guide?

→ Prioritise your tasks

→ Create a study schedule

→ Use a planner or digital calendar

→ Break Down Large Tasks

→ Avoid Multitasking

→ Set Realistic Goals

→ Use Time Management Techniques

→ Limit Distractions

→ Take Regular Breaks

→ Reflect and Adjust

 

1. Prioritise Your Tasks

Start by making a list of all the tasks you need to complete. Then, rank them by importance and urgency. Focus on high-priority tasks first to ensure that you meet critical deadlines and avoid last-minute stress.

A great tool for this is Todoist. With the ability to prioritise tasks, set reminders, schedule tasks, and organise them into projects means you never need to worry about not knowing what you need to do next to smash your studies. 

As a productivity nerd, I can confidently say Todoist is by far the best service available on the market to boost your productivity. 

 

2. Create a Study Schedule

Plan your week in advance by creating a study schedule. Allocate specific time blocks for studying, attending classes, and completing assignments. Stick to your schedule as closely as possible to build a routine.

An app like Todoist works incredibly well alongside Notion. As an avid user of Notion I can attest to it being the best productivity app out there. Through my studies at university Notion saved my bacon many times! I even love to use the Notion AI feature, which literally does all my work for me, it's like having my own personal assistant. 

With so many customisable options and templates available to you, it is possible to create a custom productivity page to suit your exact needs. 

 

3. Use a Planner or Digital Calendar

 

 

Keep track of all your deadlines, exams, and important dates in a planner or digital calendar. This helps you visualise your workload and stay organised. Apps like Google Calendar or Todoist can be incredibly helpful.

Time blocking has got to be one of the best productivity tools out there to organise your time. With options to make repetitive tasks, schedule meetings or classes, and colour code tasks it makes it super easy to see exactly what you have coming up in your busy schedule. 

 

The thing I like the most about Google Calendar though is that it forces you to make a task with time constraints. If you have ever wanted to see your most productive self, schedule a task about 40% shorter than you think it needs to be and work as hard as you can to meet the time constraints. You will be surprised how much you can really get done. 

"Work can be stretched like rubber to fill the time available for it." - Parkinson's Law

For example, let's say you have a task you think will take an hour, like getting your seminar material done before your lecture tomorrow. On Google Calendar, make that task about 40 mins long, instead of 60 mins. 

 

4. Break Down Large Tasks

Large tasks can be daunting and lead to procrastination. Break them down into smaller, manageable steps. This makes it easier to start working on them and track your progress.

We have all been there; you have 2 weeks until an essay is due (maybe shorter) and you haven't even started yet. The workload is too much and way too daunting. 

The best and first thing you can do is break the task down into smaller pieces. 

For example, an essay requires a few basic parts:

My process was to always find my references first, get 10-15 for 1,500 words. Then, work out what sections you will have in your body (let's say there are 3 sections). You will then allocate the references into each section based on their relevance. 

Then move onto your introduction. After that, as you have already planned what will go into the body of your essay its simply time to start writing following your plan to fit the references in; in this case 5 references per section. 

Breaking large tasks down can be tricky, but you will get used to it and I know confidently you will very quickly master it. 

 

5. Avoid Multitasking

 

Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can reduce your efficiency and the quality of your work. Give your full attention to the task at hand before moving on to the next one.

We have all heard how we can't do a million things at once but try to. Using the previous tricks on time blocking and prioritising based on importance, it can become very easy to sort out what needs to be one first. Doing multiple things at once will always result in poorer results. 

 

6. Set Realistic Goals

Set achievable goals for each study session or day. Unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and burnout. Celebrate small victories to stay motivated.

However, always have a larger big picture goal. If you have a big goal which is daunting thats a good thing. It means you know it will take a lot to achieve it. Just like breaking down large tasks, you can do the same with goals.

Let's say you want a 1st class degree. That is a huge and daunting goal. Break it down and allocate the 1st goal for each module. Then decide what goals you need to hit in order to get a 1st in each module.

For example, you want a First in your Accounting degree. You have 5 modules:

Set a goal every week to make sure you get all your seminar material done pre-lecture and try to push what you know all the time. Be happy when you make mistakes and do worse than you expected in tests or practice questions. This is your brains way of saying "hey I need to learn more". 

 

7. Use Time Management Techniques

Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, where you work for 30 minutes and then take a 5-minute break, can boost your productivity. Experiment with different methods to see what works best for you.

I love to use Flow for my time management. It allow's me to take frequent breaks and work for short sessions. Image getting 4 hours of work done with 8 breaks, how is that possible? 

The pomodoro technique allows you to just that. Overtime you will find you get into a state of flow where 30 mins can seem short. If that happens, try 40 mins, or 60. 

 

8. Limit Distractions

 

 

Identify what distracts you the most and take steps to minimise these distractions. This could mean turning off notifications on your phone, studying in a quiet place, or using apps that block distracting websites.

Moving your phone away, consoles, and any other distractions is vital for productivity. Another big thing is desk distractions. We tend to make our desks look better than what they can actually do to help you. Do you need a pen pot on your desk or can it go into your draw? 

Limiting everything possible that can cause a distraction is of course the most important thing when you are trying to be productive. However, it does not need to be extreme, if you love having an ornament on your desk go ahead, just make sure you remove clutter. 

 

9. Take Regular Breaks

Taking regular breaks is essential for maintaining focus and avoiding burnout. Short breaks during study sessions help refresh your mind and improve concentration.

This links back to the pomodoro technique which is why it works so effectively. It takes a long time and a lot of practice to be able to work for hours straight. Even if you can it is highly advisable you take regular breaks to avoid burnout and mental/ eye strain. Breaks don't have to be long, a quick coffee break or walk around can be sufficient. 

 

10. Reflect and Adjust

 

 

At the end of each week, reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Adjust your strategies and schedule accordingly to improve your time management skills continuously.

"What is measured can be improved". It is so important you start to identify trends. Do you know how many times you go on your phone a day or endlessly scroll? Do you know what times you generally tend to do this and why?

These questions and more can become so obvious when you track and reflect on your productivity. Daily, weekly, and monthly reflections are one of the best ways to speed run your productivity and more.

There is always so much to think about and with your studies on the go it can become increasingly hard to manage time. Write it down, look over it, and see what can be improved. Simple right?

Time management like anything else takes time, effort and practice. It can take weeks or months to change a routine depending on how fast you decide to change to become more productive. 

 

Managing your time effectively is crucial for academic success and personal well-being. By implementing these ten tips, you can take control of your schedule, reduce stress, and achieve your goals. Remember, time management is a skill that takes practice, so be patient with yourself and keep refining your approach. Give yourself at least 2 weeks before you see the benefits.

1% better everyday is 365% better at the end of the year.

 

Get Notion and watch your productivity reach new heights! Better yet, get Notion AI, a personal AI assistant.

Wanting to get the best task list app out there? Get Todoist today and start your journey to becoming the next productivity ninja!