Time Management Tips for a Student

Ways to Save Time

• Concentrate your time and effort on one subject at a time (your brain can’t multitask!)
• Take small breaks to fight boredom and increase concentration
• Write notes by hand. This can help with faster internalization of the material
• Review notes for a minute after each lecture to avoid last-minute cramming before an exam

Fighting Procrastination

• Create your own positive reinforcement
• Divide the task into small components to be tackled separately
• Create small, self-defined deadlines for yourself to follow
• Prioritize your work based on urgency and importance

Actively Budgeting Time

• Create a goal, a plan, and then commit to it
• Allow yourself reasonable time for activities
• Don’t be discouraged if you occasionally deviate from your plan; use this to plan better in the future
• Budget time for meals and exercise, this will make your studying hours more effective

Staying Organized

• Write large due dates 3-4 months ahead in a planner. This helps you visually understand how busy you will or will not be
• Write down daily goals that you can reasonably complete. Check them off as you go (checkmarks will never seem so satisfying!)
• Don’t count on yourself to remember everything you’ve been assigned: write it down!

Common Time Traps

• Lack of planning
• Lack of prioritization
• Over-commitment
• Rushing through something to produce a lower quality product
• Netflix, Facebook, or messaging
• Studying with distracting friends
• Becoming distracted during lecture