Time Management Tips for Students

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the responsibilities of juggling work, family, and the demands of school. The busier we are, the more chances there are to forget about homework or an important appointment. But never fear: Our top three tips to manage time will have you back on track and organized in no time.

Tip 1: Plan Ahead

The first step in developing your time-management skills is to make a plan for what needs to be accomplished and when. Start by creating a list of tasks for the day or week and prioritize the items by level of importance so you’re not overlooking important tasks or upcoming deadlines.

Planning ahead also means knowing when to say “no” in order to stay on task while balancing work, school, and home life. While it may seem limiting at first, mastering the art of saying “no” is an essential step to striking a work-life balance. When new requests or issues come up, ask yourself whether it contributes or detracts from your goal. Then determine if it requires immediate attention or can wait until a later date. If the request requires immediate attention, consider whether it is higher priority that the items on your priority list, and if it is, determine what other items can be pushed to a later date. If you’re juggling a lot of priorities and everything seems to be due at once, break down your list into the most immediate priorities and start with the tasks you can accomplish quickly, then on the heels of your newfound momentum, move to the tasks that require more attention and effort.

Balancing work, life, and school can be tricky, check out our Tips for Busy Parents in Nursing School.

Tip 2: Manage Deadlines

Procrastination is often the biggest hurdle many have to jump when trying to manage time and balance work and home life. And when you know you have a deadline looming, it can sometimes worsen the tendency to procrastinate. Good news, self-regulation is something we can learn by breaking down tasks into manageable parts.

A simple way to feel less overwhelmed when faced with an impending deadline, is the break down the parts of the task and prioritize what needs to be done when. Once you have the scope of the project in mind, start with your deadline and work backwards to determine when each milestone needs to be completed in order to finish your task by the due date. This is a technique project managers often use when building out complex projects with a lot of moving parts, but it can also apply to your coursework, job duties, and even your home responsibilities.

Let’s put it into practice. If your task is to write a term paper and you’re deadline is in one week, first determine the scope of the task: research the topic, write the outline, gather citations, writing the first draft, and edit the draft. Then, make time each day to accomplish one of these tasks instead of cramming it all in the night before. This will allow you to balance writing your term paper with your other responsibilities, whether it’s completing other coursework, caring for children, or working a job.

If you’re struggling with staying focused, check out our article on 5 Ways to Make Studying Less of a Chore.

Tip 3. Get Organized

To minimize that dreaded sense of urgency, you can leverage organizational skills to build habits that ensure you know when your deadlines are and what is required to reach them.

• Use Organizational Tools
  Having a few tools in your organizational belt can be invaluable to your time-management process. Part of managing your time well is knowing everything you need to do and what your deadlines are. You can keep your tasks and dates organized using a physical day planner or digital calendar app. Set reminders for important dates or deadlines to help you remember when things are due. You can also keep a journal with notes as you’re working through each task so you can pick up where you left off if you have to switch to something else.
• Avoid Distractions
  An important part of completing a task, like studying or homework is to spend quality time focusing on it, but distractions can interfere with your ability to stay on task. If studying at home makes you want to clean the house, go to a coffee shop or tutoring center for quality focus time. Consider other distractions like your phone or tablet, and either leave them at home or shut them off while studying to reduce easy distractions. Another likely distraction can be family. If you’re preparing for an important exam, tell family and friends that you need a few hours of uninterrupted time to focus on your studies. Sometimes a chatty mind can also be a distraction. Find sounds that help your mind relax like soundscapes, binaural beats, classical music, or ambient sounds.
• Ask for Help
  Going to school is hard, especially when you’re balancing your time with other responsibilities. There are so many deadlines and due dates that students can quickly get overwhelmed. At Joyce University, our Faculty, Student Success Advisors, Tutors, and Staff are committed to helping our students succeed, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed, start by asking for help.

Looking for more study tips? Read our 10 Tips for Creating Your Ideal Study Space