Time Management Techniques

Below are some tips and strategies to help you manage your time better - we hope they help!

Time Management is the most essential skill to develop in order to become an effective efficient learner. With good time management, you can give yourself enough time to read chapters effectively, review, meet with study groups, meet with professors, and do appropriate research. It is essential a schedule is set that meets your individual needs and personality. In order to do so, you must understand where you learn best (environment), how you study best (one hour or more, early morning or late afternoon, well lit room or natural light), and how much time it takes to complete tasks (reading, writing, projects).

In addition to the strategies below, check out these helpful online resources for time management: 

12 Epic Time Management Tips For Students

The College Works framework for mastering time management

Quick Time Management Hints

• Pull out your binder, notebook, or index cards and review your notes two or three times.
• Close your eyes and visualize your reading questions, math problems, economics graphs to see how a problem or idea develops step by step.
• Take out a piece of paper and write down some terms you learned in class, and then write down their definitions and one or two examples.
• Make your next day's to-do-list.
• Remember the key is to balance your time, so give yourself time off. Schedule time just for you - use it as a reward for accomplishing the day's tasks.
• Know what you can delegate. For example, create study groups and break up the chapters for each member to outline.
• Study difficult subjects first. These subjects usually demand the most energy, so it makes sense to study them when you are fresh.
• Make sure you schedule your study time in blocks to use your time and energy efficiently. If you have sustained energy, then set two hour study blocks and a five minute break in between the hours. If your energy diminishes after an hour, take five minute breaks every twenty minutes.
• Make sure your breaks are not longer than your study time!
• Make sure your schedule stays consistent with the days you attend class. Get up at the same time, study during the time you have the most energy, eat at the regular time, and exercise.
• Always have water with you when you study - being hydrated helps you to stay alert.

The Daily To Do List

• This schedule is very specific and task oriented. Specific hour(s), task, location are stated.
• Write your to do list on an index card or find a to do list template online, print, add your tasks, and then put the list somewhere you can see it; you can also use a notes application on your phone if you have one to create a to do list.
• Create the list each evening before you go to bed. Do not create it in the morning when you are rushed - you may forget something.

The Planner That Keeps You Honest

You can use a physical planner, an online calendar such as Google, or a scheduling application for college students. In order to manage time as well as use it effectively, you must understand your own time pattern, your high and low energy times, who uses your time, and if you give yourself enough time to complete tasks. This time planner is different than most because it gives you both an area for what you plan to do during a certain hour and another area to show if you kept on task or how you actually used your time.

There are seven days a week = 24 hours a day = 168 hours a week.

• Give yourself 20 minutes at the beginning of the week to fill out the entire week's schedule.
• Add all things that are fixed onto the schedule: time of class, work schedule, time you always eat, sleep, shower, meet with study groups or club meetings, athletic practice, visit family and friends, and things you do consistently each day/week.
• Make sure you plan exercise time - staying healthy is essential for you and productivity.
• Give yourself time off Friday and Saturday evenings. Write down TV shows you consistently view.
• Block out the remaining hours for homework and study time. Depending on your ability to concentrate, schedule study time in one, two, or three hour blocks. For longer blocks include breaks. Assess the # of hours you blocked out. Have you set a schedule where you are studying at least two hours for every hour in class? If not, re-evaluate.
• Color code (with highlighters) - make it visual, make it yours!

The Long Term Schedule

This schedule is used to see the "Big Picture." In your physical or online planner, your schedule should show all test dates, paper due dates, projects due dates, holidays, athletic game dates, and social functions. It guides you through the semester, so you know ahead of time if you need to make adjustments to specific weekly and/or daily schedules. It allows you to break a large project into smaller tasks and spread them throughout a week or two for more efficient use of time and energy. Be creative - color code different courses for a better visual glance and highlight deadlines in bright colors for emphasis. Glance at this schedule each evening to remind you of important meetings, events, and due dates for assignments.

Bibliography:

Bishop, Joyce, Carter, Carol, Kravits, Sarah Lyman. Keys To Success/Building Successful Intelligence for College, Career, and Life. (5th ed.), Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Bishop, Joyce, Carter, Carol, Kravits, Sarah Lyman. Keys To Effective Learning/Developing Powerful Habits of Mind. (4th ed.), Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NewJersey
Crawford, June. A College Study Skills Manual: Ten Tips for Academic Success, Cambridge Strafford, Ltd
De Sellers, Dochen, Carol, Hodges, Russ. Academic Transformation (1st ed.), Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Ellis, David B. Becoming A Master Student. (11th ed.), Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, New York
Gardner, John N., Jewler, A. Jerome. Your College Experience/ Strategies For Success (1st ed.), Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, California
Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College. (2nd ed.), Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, New York
Smith, Laurence, Walter, Timothy. The Mountain is High Unless You Take The Elevator (1st ed.), Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, California