As a student, time management can be a difficult skill to master. It’s common for students to delay studying because they feel like they have heaps of time to study at a later stage. This is known as procrastination. This purposeful delay is then followed by a realisation that there is not enough time left to study effectively, which leads to the use of bad study habits.
If you are striving to excel academically, then it’s extremely important to improve your time management skills. The ability to manage your time efficiently allows you to balance your studies with other activities, reduce stress, and enhance productivity.
In this article, we’ll explore essential time management techniques that will empower you to make the most out of your study sessions and achieve academic success.
Time management techniques refer to a set of strategies and practices designed to help students make the most efficient use of their time. These techniques aim to improve productivity and reduce procrastination. This will ultimately enable you to achieve your goals effectively.
Time management techniques will often include practices such as setting clear and achievable goals, creating a structured study schedule, and using various time management tools like calendars and task managers. While studying, it’s important to minimise distractions, avoid non-essential commitments, and incorporate self-care activities. These elements are essential for maintaining balance and overall wellbeing while studying.
By adopting these time management techniques, you’ll be able to optimise your study sessions and effectively juggle your academic responsibilities with other aspects of life.
Time management has been researched and studied by many. It’s a question that we all want answered: ‘how do you balance being successful with being happy and having time for yourself’?
There are 5 time management techniques that might just hold the answer to being able to do it all.
The Pareto Analysis, also known as the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto Principle, is a time management and decision-making tool that is based on the work of Italian civil engineer, sociologist, economist, political scientist, and philosopher Vilfredo Pareto. The principle states that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In other words, most outcomes are driven by small actions.
In practical terms, the Pareto Analysis suggests that by identifying and focusing on the most significant and influential factors of a problem, you can maximise results and efficiency. This concept is widely applicable in various fields, including business, project management, quality control, personal time management and, of course, studying.
How to utilise the Pareto Technique:
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It’s designed to enhance focus, productivity, and time efficiency during study sessions. The technique involves breaking study periods into short, focused intervals, called ‘Pomodoros’, followed by short breaks.
This technique leverages the concept of time boxing, which means working within predefined time intervals. When utilised correctly this approach will help to prevent burnout, increase productivity, and maintain sustained focus. The short breaks act as a reward for completing each Pomodoro, this will help to reinforce your positive behaviour and motivation.
Here's how the Pomodoro Technique works:
The Eisenhower Matrix, also known as the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, is a powerful time management tool named after the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. This method can help you to prioritise tasks and make more effective study decisions by categorising them based on their urgency and importance.
The matrix is divided into four quadrants.
Therefore, go through all of your tasks and section them into these quadrants. You’ll then focus on all of the tasks in quadrant 1. This will ensure you are always on top of your school work and studying sessions.
Parkinson's Law is a principle coined by British historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson in 1955. The law states that ‘work expands to fill the time available for its completion’. In other words, the amount of time it takes to complete a task is often influenced by the time allocated to it, regardless of the actual complexity or importance of the task.
Parkinson's Law implies that when you have more time than necessary to complete a task, you tend to be less efficient and may procrastinate, resulting in the task taking longer than it should. Conversely, if a deadline is tight, you are more likely to focus and find ways to complete the task within the allotted time frame.
Therefore, when planning your study sessions, try not to give yourself too much extra time. Make sure you are able to complete a section of course material in that time but also make the deadline slightly challenging to achieve.
If you notice your deadlines are too strenuous, slightly extend the time until you get a good idea of how long certain subjects and concepts take to understand and memorise.
The Time Blocking Method is a time management technique that involves dividing your day into distinct blocks of time, each dedicated to specific tasks or activities. It’s a proactive approach to managing your time, where you schedule and allocate time for various tasks in advance. By organising your day into time blocks, you can maintain focus, minimise distractions, and make the most out of your productive hours.
Here's how the Time Blocking Method works:
The ‘Eat That Frog’ technique is a time management method popularised by Brian Tracy in his book titled ‘Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.’ The phrase ‘Eat That Frog’ is a metaphor for tackling your most challenging or important task first thing in the morning, rather than procrastinating or avoiding it.
Here's how the Eat That Frog technique works:
By utilising time management tools, such as study planners, you can significantly enhance the effectiveness of time management techniques. Study planners offer a structured framework to implement various strategies like the Pomodoro Technique, Eisenhower Matrix, and Time Blocking Method.
This can help you to break down your academic goals into manageable tasks, set realistic deadlines, and allocate specific time blocks for each subject or assignment. By incorporating these time management techniques into the study planner, you can prioritise tasks based on urgency and importance, allocate focused study intervals with short breaks, and organise your daily or weekly study schedule efficiently.
Furthermore, study planners can serve as a visual reminder of your commitments, helping you stay on track and reduce the likelihood of procrastination, leading you to success.