Time management is a phrase we hear all the time. We have our studies, families, friends, and so many other responsibilities. They’re all good things, but sometimes life can become overwhelming, leaving us to wonder how we’ll complete everything expected of us.
The good news is that we can take many practical steps to reduce our stress levels. From implementing a calendar system to setting boundaries, here are my top 10 ways to improve your time management skills as a student.
We all have crazy calendars. That’s a fact of life! However, constantly trying to push through and saying yes to everyone doesn’t always pay off. I learned that the hard way. Sometimes, doing things with excellence requires us to set boundaries.
If you’re looking for practical ways to level up your time management skills, look no further.
1. Value Your Calendar
Whether you’re more likely to procrastinate on uni work or miss out on self-care, there’s always a healthy balance to be struck. Using a calendar not only helps you to organize your time, but also lets you see which areas you’re missing out on.
You don’t need to reserve your calendar for meetings. From study sessions to self-care time, add everything. That way, you’ll be less likely to miss out on certain areas, as you’ll see what you’re doing throughout the week. Something I find very helpful is adding everything to my Apple Calendar. That way, whenever I open my phone, I can see a widget with what’s coming up that day. You can be as creative as you like, categorising events with colours and notes. If you want to take it a step further, get a paper diary and let your artistic juices flow!
2. Practice the Art of Saying No
Many of us are people pleasers and want to do everything. The thing is, sometimes it’s necessary to say no. Part of managing our time is learning to cut things that we honestly can’t fit in. If you’re a bit of a workaholic like me, sometimes taking a few hours to decompress is an important part of reducing stress levels. Top tip, if you don’t want to let people down, don’t say a flat no, just suggest a time that works better! For example, you could say, “Can we reschedule?” or “What about X time”? Remember, it’s okay to share if you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you don’t have the time or capacity, tell them you’re feeling swamped. Tell them you’re feeling overstretched. You’ll be surprised by how kind and understanding people are.
Whether you’re more likely to overwork or over-socialise, if you have everything put in a calendar, saying no becomes a whole lot easier. For example, if you’re likely to overstudy, block out your study time. That way, when you’re tempted to overwork, you can show yourself that you’ve already done enough, and vice versa.
3. Early Bird Catches the Worm (Plan in Advance!)
Last-minute stress is something that happens to the best of us. We’ve forgotten to plan ahead, and suddenly everything just creeps up. Planning ahead is the antidote to last-minute disasters. Spontaneous social events are great if you have the time, but equally, if you do plan things in advance, it can stop you from becoming overwhelmed.
Whether you’ve planned social events, meetings, or work, setting reminders is a great way to ensure you leave on time. There are so many options! On digital calendars, you can choose how long before the event you want to be notified. Similarly, you can even set alarms. For example, if you need to leave at 4 pm, set an alarm when you need to begin getting ready and set another alarm 5 minutes before you need to leave. That way, you won’t lose track of the time.
4. Treasure Your University’s Support Services
It’s so easy to assume we can do things by ourselves. We don’t want to bother anyone, so we suffer in silence. It doesn’t need to be that way. There are so many support services available to students. Whether your time is being eaten up by stressing over academics, job applications, or finances, universities have so many people to help. Make the most of them!
I remember when I was applying for my first student job, all of my time was taken up with applications. The thing is, I didn’t need to fret about the details of my CV or interview because I could get all the support I needed from my school’s careers adviser. Universities and workplaces have so many more services available than most of us realise. If money is worrying you, speak to the finance team. If academics are stressing you, speak to study support. If you think you might have a specific learning difference, see the disability team. Universities offer free screenings and can put a support plan in place for you. Utilising support services not only reduces stress but also teaches us much more than we would have learned had we just ploughed through.
5. Switch Up Your Scenery
If you find that you’ve been staring at your screen so long that you can’t concentrate anymore, change environments. It really helps! If you’re studying in the library, take a 5-minute break, then go study in a cafe. I often find myself sitting at a desk for so long that I’m hunched over like a shrimp and can’t see straight. Honestly, it’s not very productive. There are so many spaces! Whether it be libraries, cafes, or different spaces at university, utilise them!
6. Reflect and Learn
We all mess up our schedules once in a while. We don’t leave enough time to get everything done and find ourselves stressed beyond all belief. The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes. For example, if you find you’re less productive in the mornings, rather than studying for 5 hours before lunch, consider studying for 3 hours in the evening when you’re more concentrated. Reflect on routines that have worked for you before and replicate them. If you’re looking to take it a step further, use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, an evidenced method for self-reflection. It’s a game-changer!
7. Divide and Conquer
We all have excellent intentions to get work done, but sometimes procrastination sets in. If you plan to alternate between a variety of different tasks, there’s a high risk you’ll get distracted along the way. Instead, try to batch your “desk tasks” together, “cooking tasks” together, and “going out tasks” together. Sometimes it’s good to take a study break, of course, but where possible, it saves a lot of time to organize your to-do list into chunks.
8. You’re Better Off Safe Than Sorry
It’s easy to underestimate how long something will take, which can often leave us working behind schedule and feeling stressed. Setting buffer time is an important way to work calmly under pressure and follow a schedule.
A good general rule of thumb is that things usually take longer than expected. If you haven’t factored in enough buffer time and one thing overruns, your whole schedule will be knocked out. Even if things do run smoothly, it’s almost always better to be early than late!
9. Treasure the Two-Minute Rule
Talk to almost anyone, and you’ll find that procrastination is an issue for them in some way or another. One practical way to stop yourself from putting things off is to set a two-minute rule. If the task takes two minutes or less, do it now. This will prevent a huge pile-up of small tasks and stop you from becoming overwhelmed. From maintaining a tidy room to keeping on top of emails, this can be a game-changer!
10. Two Days is Enough
It’s so easy to keep delaying tasks until we’re less busy, but let’s face it, will we ever be less busy? Plus, putting off tasks is stressful! Think how much grief you’ll save yourself later by doing them now. An excellent way to do this is by setting a time limit. You can choose what works best for you, but a good place to start could be setting a two-day rule. If something big needs to be done, try to complete it within two days. That way, you won’t have a week’s worth of big tasks haunting your to-do list. Whether it’s starting that essay you’ve been meaning to do for ages, or thoroughly cleaning your room, you might as well start today!
Compassion is the Key
As you begin implementing your new organized lifestyle, remember that stress isn’t the same for everyone. The key to finding what really works is trial and error. As humans, we don’t always get things right the first time, and that’s ok.
Organization is important, but calendars and reminders are there to support us, not the other way around. Remember that! When we set ourselves goals, we should always prioritize our mental and physical health. After all, that’s why we created the list to start with: we wanted to make our lives more manageable.
Make one change at a time, and soon you’ll find that you are nailing your new organized lifestyle!
