Ten Effective Time Management Techniques for Students

Good time management is essential to successful studying. We share ten time management techniques to help you achieve the most in the time you have and to manage your planning effectively. 

Of course, time management is not solely limited to studying, but it affects our day-to-day living. We all know how annoying it is to arrange to meet a friend at a certain time and they appear 40 minutes late. Not only is it inconsiderate and disrespectful, but you may have a plan thereafter which has now been kicked out of sync.

Practicing good time management is crucial in every aspect of our daily lives. However, for the sake of this article, we are concentrating on our students who will soon be facing their exams. A time of the year we acknowledge to be stressful and anxiety-provoking, but it doesn’t need to be as you can equip yourself with these invaluable techniques. It is evident that those who have a structured and disciplined plan in place with their priorities firmly in place, do succeed. 

Time Management for Success

Good time management is essential to success when studying. Students often start the year with high expectations and grand plans, but slowly as time passes, the plans start to fall by the wayside. This creates immense stress, and students find themselves cramming for exams and sometimes not adequately prepared. As the old adage goes,” if one fails to plan, one plans to fail”.  Forward planning allows a clear head and effective time management, eliminating a lot of stress. It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, if you don’t manage your time you will battle to reach your true potential. 

Have you ever noticed that the busiest people get the most done? The reason is that they plan ahead and manage their time effectively. 

Do you feel like you just don’t have enough time? Do you have more items on your “To Do List” than there are hours in the day? H. Jackson Brown Jr. said, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” Do you now feel like an underachiever? Fear not! The truth is that when it comes to studying it’s often not about how many hours you have, but rather how you use them that counts. 

Ten techniques to help you master the art of time management

1. Prioritise!

Think and plan ahead.

Before attempting any time management techniques, it is crucial that you prioritise your time. People, especially students, have so much on the go and it’s hard to choose which is more important, be it time with friends, family, sport or studying. While it is true that all elements are crucial in order to lead a balanced life, there are times when studying needs to take priority over one’s social life. Planning and managing one’s time requires skill, foresight and maturity.  

Most of us want instant gratification, and when a party comes up and you’re on the brink of an assignment deadline or exams are imminent, we struggle with that internal conflict. We dice with the thought of missing out on the fun and think perhaps we can postpone our work until the following day. We all know the lifestyle of a student, getting home in the indigo hours of the morning and surfacing at lunch time. Panic sets in. We have lost out on many hours and now we have fallen behind. Is the stress worth it? Delaying gratification requires discipline and careful thought. This is where one has to be mindful of one’s priorities.  There will be many more opportunities to party. Be mindful of activities that take up a lot of your time but add little value to your long-term goals such as playing video games or spending hours on social media. 

Jason Khoo, a member of both the President Scholar Program at California State University Fullerton and the Dean’s List of the Mihavlo College of Business and Economics illustrates this when saying, “You need to set your priorities early on and stick to them. I suggest that you maintain time with family and friends but be quick to cut low-value activities like video games or TV shows. When you have to make more difficult choices, look at things from a long-term perspective. Don’t waste time feeling guilty about your choices – think of them as effective compromises that will lead to your long-term success.” 

2. Always complete the most important tasks first

Prioritise again.

When it comes to time management it is often a crucial step easily missed. When faced with a long list of tasks one can easily feel overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done and, as a result, unsure of where to start. If you can only adopt one time management technique let it be this one. Identify three tasks each day that are the most important to complete and work on those first. Once these tasks are complete you have set yourself up for a successful day and, often, the rest will follow. A structured plan is crucial to achieving this construct. 

3. Eliminate Distractions

Stay focused.

Distractions can easily be your downfall and interfere with your planning. Chances are that you’ll be looking for things to help you procrastinate so make sure you can’t find them. Turn off the phone, disconnect from social media, put your book away and focus. Allow yourself to quickly check your phone only after an hour of hard graft. This might seem excessive, but technology can both be an asset and a hindrance when it comes to time management.  

4. Become friends with your calendar

Plan and prepare realistic and achievable goals.

If you’re trying to improve your time management skills a calendar is your new best friend. It is an excellent tool to help you plan your day. It allows you to clearly schedule appointments, set time aside for priority tasks and plan your studies. You can easily set up a calendar on your phone flagging what to do and when. Keep in mind however that setting up the calendar is the easy part, it’s sticking to it that will make all the difference! You may wish to work out how much work you need to cover before the start of exams. Break it up into chunks filling in on your calendar what you plan to cover on what day. Start well in advance allowing yourself time for sleep and exercise as well as being able to revise from your summarised notes and mind maps just before the exam. This will avoid cramming and additional unnecessary anxiety.  

5. Make a list

Be realistic to avoid setting yourself up for failure.

A checklist is a wonderful time management tool. A good suggestion is to have a prioritised list for everything you need to get done in the week and then a smaller list for each day. This way you can successfully plan the week ahead, allocating time where it is needed. Lists help you keep track of what needs to be done, not to mention that wonderful sense of accomplishment when you finally get to cross off an item! However, be realistic about what you plan to achieve to avoid setting yourself up for failure. Your list can even include healthy activities. You may wish to start your day early with a workout at the gym – get the blood flown for fresh cognitive engagement.  

6. Reward yourself

Balance the scales of achievement and reward.

Small rewards are important and, if not overindulged in, they can help you keep on track. When you’ve completed a task on time, be sure to get up from your desk stretch your legs and take a ten-minute timeout. This will help you to mentally prepare for the next task while keeping the momentum going. 

7. Have a dedicated study space

Choose your space wisely to avoid distractions and interruptions.

This is crucial. Study time is often wasted by trying to find a place to study. Before you begin, find a place where you are comfortable and not distracted, be it the desk in your bedroom or the library. Find a space where you won’t be interrupted, and you can work for as long as you need. Research shows that studying in the same place each time, for example a particular desk in the library, can be conducive to getting more done. When you immediately associate a space with focused successful studying it’s easier to get into the rhythm of doing just that.  

Structure your environment in such a way that you avoid distractions as much as possible. Think about what you may need before you begin your task so that you don’t break your concentration. You may want a bottle of water on your desk. Do not position your workspace looking out of a window. Choose a quiet area where you will not be disturbed. Train yourself to work for an hour and have a break of ten minutes for the bathroom or a quick stretch and some fresh air before continuing. Do not break the continuum.  

8. Be flexible

Expect interruptions and plan around them.

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

With time management, planning is key, but some degree of flexibility needs to be allowed. In the words of John Lennon, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Be careful not to plan your day so tightly that one little mishap throws everything out of sync, including yourself. If you don’t give yourself a little room to breathe, your schedule will be your downfall. Always expect the unexpected.  

As soon as you start falling behind you might panic, which will lead to even more pressure and anxiety, compounding to-do lists and an eventual meltdown. Stick to your schedule, use your calendar, and make your list, but remember that they are there to help you, not to suffocate you. When planning your schedule allow for unavoidable disturbances so that if and when they occur you are not thrown off your schedule. It’s easy to fall off track and one needs to constantly stay focused and disciplined. Advanced planning is crucial. This also highlights why you should start well in advance and not just before exams are about to start. 

9. Learn to say no

Discipline and delaying gratification.

It is easy to overestimate what you can get done in a day. It all starts with the best intentions and a real commitment to completing your studies for the day, exercising and making time to see your friend, but sometimes we just can’t do it all. Instead of overcommitting be cautious with what you say yes to. Always give yourself more time than you think you will need. This brings you back to prioritising what is most important and not allowing your emotions to sway you off course. Sitting with a toolbox of skills but not implementing them is setting yourself up for failure. Keep your goal in mind. 

10. Take care of yourself

Optimal functioning requires optimal health.

Recent findings have indicated that time management seems to enhance wellbeing, in particular, life satisfaction, to a greater extent than it does performance. This challenges the common perception that time management first and foremost enhances work performance and that wellbeing is simply a byproduct. 

While getting enough sleep, exercise and healthy meals may take time, they will contribute to your overall wellness. A healthy lifestyle is essential to a healthy mind. It is impossible to concentrate when you’re exhausted or hungry. If you find yourself pulling all-nighters to get through your list, relook at your list and your calendar. Your schedule should include at least 7 – 8 hours sleep a night, time to eat healthily and exercise. In doing so you will find that you will get more done in the time that you have. If you start in advance, you will allow yourself adequate time to achieve your goals with room for revision. 

Good time management is crucial to successfully completing your studies and achieving your career goals. The good news is that everyone can become an expert at managing their own time and therefore set themselves up for success. Make that list and stick to it, you won’t be sorry! 

Technology and Time Management

The debate over whether technology saves or wastes time is ongoing. In the past, people waited days or weeks for a written response to arrive by mail, whereas today, a delay of a few minutes in responding to a text or email is often frustrating. 

New technologies can add tasks to our busy routines but they can also be integrated into time management strategies to enhance productivity. Here are some applications that can help manage tasks effectively: 

• Producteev: A task management app for teams, enabling sharing and managing tasks for multiple projects. 
• Flow: Allows users to manage projects, track tasks, delegate, discuss, and store information across devices. 
• Any.do: A mobile manager for to-do lists that syncs across devices through cloud storage. 
• Remember the Milk: An app for managing to-do lists, providing reminders, and searching tasks on mobile devices. 
• Google Tasks: Integrated with Google Mail and Calendar, this tool helps create and track task lists from any device. 

Other apps like Evernote can also aid in task and project management. The key is to choose an application that fits seamlessly with your overall time management strategy. If a complex tool feels cumbersome, opt for a simpler one that makes your life easier rather than more complicated. The goal of any task manager is to reduce complexity and enhance efficiency. 

Be mindful and disciplined while using technology so as not to stray off course.

Management and Leadership at SACAP

Helping people achieve in both their personal and professional lives is the role of a coach. If you feel this is the role for you, you may wish to study coaching at SACAP. Whether you choose to pursue a career in this burgeoning industry or not, the skills you develop will serve you well in any number of career paths.  

Good time management is a durable skill that will aid you in attaining top leadership and management positions. Learn more about the available Management and Leadership courses at SACAP for career growth.