Trying to balance your time can be a real pain in the you-know-what! Especially for students like you, who have a million and one things to get done and hardly any time to do them.
But giving up is not the solution. Instead, let's look at some easy to implement strategies and time management tools that will help you make the most of the time you already have available and also create some more free time for you.
Tip number one - create and use to-do lists. It might sound obvious, but the first step in getting things done is actually creating a list of the things you want done! How often do you try to avoid writing lists and instead just try to remember the stuff you have to get done off the top of your head? Some people are perennial list makers. But some people never make them at all. If you want to use your time wisely you need to use lists. So use numbers or letters to distinguish between your top priorities and your low priorities (for example number from 1-10 or letter from A-J) and make sure you are very specific in each to-do item (vague to-do items only lead to more procrastination and more time management challenges!)
Tip number two - actually prioritize your tasks. Going to back to tip one, you should understand which tasks always come first and which tasks can always be put off. Think of them in terms of air, water and food. You can last seconds without air, days without water and weeks without food. So how quickly will you die if you don't do the task? That should help you clear up the priority level of the taskand also creep you out a bit.
Tip number three - set your study goals. What are you trying to achieve anyway? Do you even know what your goals are? And if you don't know what you want how will you know when you've achieved it? Seriously, how will you know? Will you just get a vibe or something? When creating a goal you must be specific, measurable, achievable and time-based - otherwise it's not a goal, it's just an idea. For example, "I will have a B average in Maths by the end of First Semester" is a lot better than "I will improve in Maths". When you know what you want you can easily identify those things that are going to help you get there - and those things that are a total waste of your time (i.e. pretty much everything!)
Tip number four - eliminate all distractions! If you wanted to, you could be in a constant state of distraction. The world is full of things and people trying to interrupt you. The real challenge is blocking all that out and focusing on what matters. Distractions can truly account for hours of your time each and every day. That's hundreds if not thousands of hours every year. Instead, you need to focus purely on what you want and then make a beeline for it. Turn off all distractions and get to work. Once it's done you can switch all your distractions back on and prepare to waste some serious time! Woo!
Tip number five - focus on one thing at a time. When you focus on multiple things at once there is a strong tendency to start all tasks but get nothing completed. Not only that, but your work also tends to be of a lesser quality because you are not focusing. That is a poor use of time. Just complete the tasks one after the other in a sequence and you'll find that things get completed quicker and with more awesomeness.
But giving up is not the solution. Instead, let's look at some easy to implement strategies and time management tools that will help you make the most of the time you already have available and also create some more free time for you.
Tip number one - create and use to-do lists. It might sound obvious, but the first step in getting things done is actually creating a list of the things you want done! How often do you try to avoid writing lists and instead just try to remember the stuff you have to get done off the top of your head? Some people are perennial list makers. But some people never make them at all. If you want to use your time wisely you need to use lists. So use numbers or letters to distinguish between your top priorities and your low priorities (for example number from 1-10 or letter from A-J) and make sure you are very specific in each to-do item (vague to-do items only lead to more procrastination and more time management challenges!)
Tip number two - actually prioritize your tasks. Going to back to tip one, you should understand which tasks always come first and which tasks can always be put off. Think of them in terms of air, water and food. You can last seconds without air, days without water and weeks without food. So how quickly will you die if you don't do the task? That should help you clear up the priority level of the taskand also creep you out a bit.
Tip number three - set your study goals. What are you trying to achieve anyway? Do you even know what your goals are? And if you don't know what you want how will you know when you've achieved it? Seriously, how will you know? Will you just get a vibe or something? When creating a goal you must be specific, measurable, achievable and time-based - otherwise it's not a goal, it's just an idea. For example, "I will have a B average in Maths by the end of First Semester" is a lot better than "I will improve in Maths". When you know what you want you can easily identify those things that are going to help you get there - and those things that are a total waste of your time (i.e. pretty much everything!)
Tip number four - eliminate all distractions! If you wanted to, you could be in a constant state of distraction. The world is full of things and people trying to interrupt you. The real challenge is blocking all that out and focusing on what matters. Distractions can truly account for hours of your time each and every day. That's hundreds if not thousands of hours every year. Instead, you need to focus purely on what you want and then make a beeline for it. Turn off all distractions and get to work. Once it's done you can switch all your distractions back on and prepare to waste some serious time! Woo!
Tip number five - focus on one thing at a time. When you focus on multiple things at once there is a strong tendency to start all tasks but get nothing completed. Not only that, but your work also tends to be of a lesser quality because you are not focusing. That is a poor use of time. Just complete the tasks one after the other in a sequence and you'll find that things get completed quicker and with more awesomeness.
About the Author:
HelpMeToStudy.org is the best online resource for learning new study skills, changing your study habits and finding the best studying tips available. We provide free access to the world's best and most engaging study resources and strategies that will help change the way you think about study - and even better - we show you how to study effectively: How To Study Effectively | Time Management Tools
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