Time management is never taught at school. But this skill is crucial for college students. If you want to be successful in education, at work, in your life, finally, mastering this art is up to you. We hope our tricks will come in handy for you.
Track Your Time Expenses
Any problem solving starts with a deep analysis. You should understand how much time you spend on really important things and how much you just waste. Do not believe your feeling. Get numbers. They never lie.
You can simply write down all your activities and time you spend on them. But we live in a digital world, why dont you take advantages of it? Install a time-tracking app on your device or a laptop: Toggl or Tick, for example. Note all you do during a week: sleeping, morning routines, studying, watching a movie, etc.
Take a look at your log after a week. Now you can see a problem you need to overcome. Do you switch between activities too often? Do you waste an unacceptable amount of time on chatting with friends? When you understand what your critical points are, you are ready to change the situation.
Unavoidable Tasks Go First
Sleeping, taking a shower, and eating are things you must do. Besides, you have academical responsibilities: attending classes, doing homework, passing exams. Now your task is to make a list of the most important activities that take much of your time.
The next step is to compose another list that includes things you would like to do: going out with friends, attending a gym, scrolling through posts on Facebook. Planning your leisure is not less important than academic tasks. None of us is a robot, and we cannot work or study effectively without regular rest periods.
Fill In Your Day Planner
Install a tool that will help you to plan your time (Asana or Todoist). They are very convenient to use because you can add extra items or shuffle tasks around. Estimate how much time you need to complete each activity. Your timetable will be pretty similar every week, so regulate the time slot if you overestimated or underestimated required amount for a particular task.
Plan your time ahead. Dedicate a half an hour on Friday or Saturday to planning your next week. When your to-do list is in your calendar, your mind is free to achieve other goals.
Be Flexible
John Lennon once said: Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. So you should not feel anxious or angry if something changes your plans. Health issues, a family member visit, the power outage are natural. Besides, some new projects from your professor might take more time than you expected. Just try to leave enough free room on your schedule to compensate time for unpredictable events.
By the end of the week, plan a course of action for the new tasks and sort out old ones you have not managed to reschedule them. One more advantage of a digital day planner that it will not allow you to miss unfinished tasks and remind you about them.
Completing about 70% of your tasks is not an excuse to worry. Remember, the more you practice, the more skilled you become. Time management is priceless and will be extremely useful throughout your whole life. Your future self will be grateful if you start managing your time today.