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Time Management Tips

March 23, 2015

Whether you are have too much or too little to do, there are some exercises you can do to better manage your time. Managing your time can relieve your thoughts from planning your day, creating a timeline for your projects, or even just help you become more efficient than you are now. Here are two tips that are easy to do and could potentially change your way of seeing value in time.

 

BUDGET

Time is a human-made concept. It adds a value to existence. By understanding the value of a day, you can get the most experience in a day. You can be at maximum productivity, or even just effectively making progress in multiple tasks throughout the day. One way to understand your day better is by making a sample budget of time for a typical week.

Each day has 24 hours leading to a week which has 168 hours. Making a budget includes tasks like sleeping, eating, studying, class, and “me” time. “Me” time is an activity that you personally like to do to relax and take a break, physically and mentally, from your academics. These activities could be anything like general web browsing, more sleeping, more exercising, watching TV, playing video games, going for a walk, etc.

Below is an example of a typical school day:

Sleeping 8 hrs
Eating 3 hrs
In Class 5 hrs
Exercising 1 hr
Doing Homework 4 hrs
Studying 2 hrs
"Me" time  1 hr
TOTAL 24 hrs

 

Your personal hour budget will differ from this example due to personal goals and needs.

 

HEALTHY HABITS

Habits occur when an individual repeats an action so often it becomes second nature and is done every day. Examples of healthy habits include exercising every day, grabbing water instead of the instinctive sugary beverage, waking up at the same time every morning, etc. Some healthy habits that will help with your time management are actively using a planner (and to posses one if you do not so already), create a To-Do list before you sleep for the next day, and holding yourself accountable.

By having a planner and putting all of your tasks in it, you are using motor skills to help you remember to do a task and also seeing if there will be conflict in the future. Having a physical list of things to do will help prevent taking on too many tasks for a given time or double booking appointments. A To-Do list also gives a sense of satisfaction every time you completed a task as you cross out or check off the item on your list.

Before you sleep, creating a refined To-Do list for the next day will allow you to go to sleep without having to worry about what kind of tasks you need to do the next day. Since your list will be completed before sleeping, you can wake up ready to start the day and immediately get started on your To-Do list and daily routines. This helps you with productivity and just staying focused throughout the day.

 

There are many ways to manage your time and every person has their own way of successfully doing so. If planners provide too little space for you to plan out your week, you can use printable sheets like this or create your own to fit your personal needs. Resources like the Calvin E. Bright Success Center also provide workshops on time management and are welcome to students that come in to work on such skills. Find your way to better manage time to help you be even more successful not only in college but in life!

 

-Ashlee
Chemistry Major
Academic Advising Mentor