Time Management

Spend some time planning and organizing

Using time to think and plan is a good use of time. Use a daily calendar to write down deadlines, exam dates, and other important events. Include dates that you plan to start studying for a test or writing a paper. Use colors and pictures if it is useful. You will be able to identify weeks that are heavier than others and ensure that you have enough time to prepare for them.

Set short- and long-term goals for yourself

Set goals that are specific, measurable, realistic, and achievable. They should cause you to “stretch” but not “break.” Keep your goals visible to remind you of them.  Goals provide direction for your life and the way you spend your time.

Make to-do lists

Before you go to bed each night, make a list of what needs to be accomplished the next day and follow it. Listing tasks in order of priority and giving yourself a time frame may be helpful. Making a list can help you stay focused and give you a sense of accomplishment as you check off items. Some well-organized people say that your list should only have 3 things on it. Some people also make up weekly and monthly to-do lists.

Consider your body's “prime time”

Are you a morning person, night owl, or best in the afternoon? Try to plan your priorities for your peak time.

Save time in class

• Make the most out of lectures and improve note-taking by preparing beforehand. Complete assigned readings, preview textbook sections, review lecture slides (if provided) and record questions that you have.
• Always attend class. It won't take you as long to learn the concepts if you are there.
• Read through class notes within 24 hours of taking them to make sure you understand the ideas and you have recorded the information clearly.

Find and use a good work location

Students often waste a great deal of time because of poor concentration. Find a place where you feel most productive and dedicate that space to studying—and refrain from doing anything else besides studying when you’re there. It may also help to turn your phone on silent and put it out of reach. Alternatively, there are apps for productivity that help to limit your phone use.

Prioritize

Since you can’t do everything, learn to prioritize the important and let go of the rest.

Make waiting times work for you

Keep notes, paper, or a textbook with you, and use waiting times, bus rides, and long line ups to study notes, read, or outline an essay. You may be surprised how effective waiting time can be.

Don't procrastinate

Break up large tasks into smaller tasks; this will make the project seem less intimidating and will help you fight procrastination. Try this: when you are avoiding something, set the timer and work on the task for just 15 minutes. By doing a little at a time, you may get to the point that you enjoy it or just want to finish it.

Leave time for exercise and social events

It is very important to not become obsessed over your schoolwork. However, be reasonable. If you have an 8:30AM class, don’t stay up until 2:30AM at night.

Extracurricular activities

An important part of time management is to decide which activities you want to commit to and which you don’t have time for. Be realistic. Sometimes you need to say no.

Evaluate your progress

Monitor your progress and accomplishments when practicing effective time management. If you are not happy with your progress, you need to consider what is happening and how to improve the situation.

 

Individuals need a certain amount of stress to be motivated and accomplish goals-- but if left unmanaged, stress can be dangerous to your health.  

Stress affects your immune system, hormonal response, and biochemical reactions, which influence digestive, cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems. Long-term problems include backache, headache, infection, depression, heart disease, and cancer.

One common stressor is not having enough time. We are all given the same amount of time. Use these time management tips to help keep stress manageable.

Usask Library Learning Hub offers:

• Academic Skills workshops  
• Free writing and math help 
• An extensive collection of online academic support resources (e.g., writing multiple choice exams, effective reading):  
• Librarian support
• And More!

Tips from the Learning Hub:

• Attend class tutorials,
• Make use of professors' office hours,
• review the old exam registry at the USSU Help Centre,
• Online class notes and lecture recordings (when available),
• Become buddies with a fellow classmate to trade notes with or to phone when you have a question.

1. Get a calendar and use it. It can be a paper calendar that you carry with you or post on the wall. It can be a digital calendar on your phone. No matter what kind it is make sure you have one and regularly use it.
2. Write down everything. Schedule when you plan to sleep, when you are going to do your laundry, when you are going to call home. The crazier your schedule gets, the more important this becomes.
3. Make a daily to-do list with no more than 3 items on the list.
4. Schedule time to relax.
5. Keep trying new systems until you find one that works for you.If your phone calendar isn’t big enough, buy a paper one. If your paper one keeps getting torn, try the calendar on your laptop. If you have too many things written down each day, try color coding to help simplify.

Always plan a little extra time. If you think a paper will take 6 hours to write, plan for 8. Better to have time left over, than to be rushed and do a poor job