Mastering time management isn’t easy.
Do you ever feel like there’s never enough time in the day? And if you’re a college student, this is very true. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Meeting deadlines can be difficult.
My two biggest struggles in time management are not planning for enough time and getting easily distracted. I find my clients struggle with this too.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” - Paul J. Meyer
In this blog, you’ll discover time management tips to help you work smarter, not harder.
Your first step is to be AWARE of your time and how you can manage it wisely.1
I’ve learned to plan extra time for projects because they often take longer than expected. I get started sooner rather than later. And I get more done if I minimize my list.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with too much work — start small.
And let’s be honest, there’s hardly ever enough hours in the day.
Be aware of your time, and don’t overestimate what you’re capable of. I stress the importance of planning ahead. Get started now to keep from falling behind the clock.
Learn to avoid procrastination.
Most college students procrastinate A LOT. One and five adults are chronically affected by procrastination.2
Procrastination happens when you avoid something you need to do but you don’t want to. Maybe you watch a YouTube video instead of studying...or you watch ten videos.
Think about WHY you’re procrastinating and wasting time.3
Are you avoiding a task because you don’t enjoy it? OR do you avoid it because you think what you do won’t be good enough? Some people even procrastinate because they’re afraid of succeeding.
Find ways to help you stop procrastinating.
One thing I find helpful is to “Eat the Frog” every morning. What is this? I take the thing I’m especially NOT looking forward to doing, and I take it on before I get to anything else.
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” - Mark Twain
Afterward, I feel accomplished and encouraged to get more things done. I don’t have a task hanging over my head all day long. It’s a relief.
Use The Pomodoro Technique of a 25 minute timer to get work done.
When I break a big project into smaller pieces, I find I'm more organized and ready to take on big goals.
Try breaking a project into steps you focus on one at time, or try splitting a long task into chunks of time.
Breaking tasks into manageable pieces is a helpful technique for students.
The Pomodoro Technique was designed in the 1980s by student Francesco Cirillo.4 This strategy includes setting a 25 minute timer and working on a project. Once the timer is up, take a five minute break. After you repeat this process four times, take a longer break.
Shrinking an intimidating project into blocks of time makes it less scary.
I’m using time management to help me reach a 2021 goal.
I want to read more this year, so I decided to spend 15 minutes each day reading. I enjoy doing this at the end of the day to wind down. The task isn’t difficult because 15 minutes is a short period of time.
Believe it or not, I read three books in January! I do know, however, if I’d begun the month with the goal of reading three books, I’d have found this daunting.
Find ways to avoid distractions – especially while studying.
It’s easy to not do something on your list if you’re distracted. The college students I work with tell me their phones are their biggest distraction. Do you relate?
Cellphones are a big time-sucker.
They make it difficult to manage time and stay on track. How often do you sit down to write a paper and realize 30 minutes later you did nothing but look at your phone?
Here are a few ways my clients and I think might help you avoid smartphone distractions:
Turn your phone off completely now and then.
Retrain your brain from thinking every text needs an immediate response.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb while doing homework or attending class (especially a virtual class!).
Remove the temptation. Leave your phone behind when you go to the library to study.
Set a timer to limit game time on your phone. If you have to, delete the app altogether.
When you work, keep a notepad nearby. Write down where you left off every time you get on your phone. Now you won’t forget what you were doing beforehand.
Practice these tips to help you avoid distractions.
Prioritize your time, stay focused, and remove unnecessary tasks.
There’s nothing worse than sitting down to a giant to-do list. This creates overwhelm and increases procrastination.
As a coach, I help you prioritize projects to save time.
I find it helpful for my clients and myself to use a prioritization grid tool to make sure important items get done first.
With this tool, I choose five to ten tasks I need to accomplish. I place them in a grid with corresponding numbers. After comparing each task, I tally up their scores and start the task that rates highest.
Organizing in this way calms my whirlwind of thoughts, and I develop a plan. It’s surprising to find the things I think matter most don’t even make it to the top of my list. I often realize I’ve put time and effort into the wrong task.
Use these time management techniques to help you spend your day wisely.
Even as a coach, I too enlist tools, techniques, and a coach for support along the way. If you feel like you need support, ask a friend to keep you accountable.
If you’re interested in finding a coach, feel free to reach out. Or if you’re looking for more articles like this one, subscribe to my email list below!
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