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 there is always light at the end of the tunnel. By identifying and using some simple time management tools that will improve your ability to manage your time effectively, you can quickly start freeing up more free time than you realized was possible.
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 - create some goals. It's very easy to overlook creating goals and instead just get started on things. But working towards something specific helps create a direction for you. For example, if you make a goal that you will have your "Science homework completed no later than 8 pm tonight" then you have something specific you are working towards. If you have no goal in mind then you might end up drifting along until 9 pm without even completing the Science homework at all. So start listing all the things you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them by. This will help you easily see which activities are a total waste of your time and which are going to help you reach your ambitions.
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 - do what counts. A major trap we all fall into is trying to do everything that's assigned. But that's actually a waste of your time. You should do only what you know counts towards your final grades. If a paper is worth 50% then spend lots and lots of time on it. If your homework is not worth grades but must be handed in - then make sure you hand it in - but don't spend as much time on it as anything that counts towards your final grade. Find out what counts the most and give that the most time. Worrying about everything will only drive you nuts!
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 there is always light at the end of the tunnel. By identifying and using some simple time management tools that will improve your ability to manage your time effectively, you can quickly start freeing up more free time than you realized was possible.
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 - create some goals. It's very easy to overlook creating goals and instead just get started on things. But working towards something specific helps create a direction for you. For example, if you make a goal that you will have your "Science homework completed no later than 8 pm tonight" then you have something specific you are working towards. If you have no goal in mind then you might end up drifting along until 9 pm without even completing the Science homework at all. So start listing all the things you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them by. This will help you easily see which activities are a total waste of your time and which are going to help you reach your ambitions.
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 - do what counts. A major trap we all fall into is trying to do everything that's assigned. But that's actually a waste of your time. You should do only what you know counts towards your final grades. If a paper is worth 50% then spend lots and lots of time on it. If your homework is not worth grades but must be handed in - then make sure you hand it in - but don't spend as much time on it as anything that counts towards your final grade. Find out what counts the most and give that the most time. Worrying about everything will only drive you nuts!
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.
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