Students are one of the busiest people in this world. We get you.
We mention about their hectic schedules in many of our articles but it’s a fact that needs to be emphasised often. With the increasing amount of competition for grades, placements and jobs, students from a very young age are being exposed to severe stress.
Everyone has only 24 hours in a day. So, do these young students. Yet, they must tackle homework, extracurriculars, exam prep sessions, tuitions, chores and what not. With their schedule filled up to the brim, they are in serious need of time management skills. While we cannot magically impart this skill onto students such as you, we will try to provide some useful tips and advice tailored for them in this article.
1) Priority-oriented Schedule
Before you even begin doing anything, we highly recommend that you create a to-do list that is is ordered according to priority. DO NOT use your brain to remember the tasks, you will need it for other crucial things. Just use any other medium that you like for the list i.e., on paper or in an app. When you have decided what needs to be done urgently and what can be put on the back burner, you are off to a good start.
2) Not hours, use blocks.
We came across this tip on Jordan Page’s blog and we think it can be very useful not just for moms but also for students. Her advice is to think of a day not in terms of hours but in terms of blocks. Divide your day in couple of blocks and use a particular block only for certain tasks. We recommend that you watch her video on this to see how you could adapt this technique.
3) Breaks are Mandatory
No matter how much you need to accomplish in a day, never skip breaks. Because if you do, your mind then uses procrastination as a form of defence to step away from the tasks. As a result, you are behind schedule anyway and you have to deal with the guilt. So, it’s best to take voluntary short breaks between tasks or blocks (if you choose to use block scheduling). Not only can you return to your tasks with a refreshed mind but also enjoy the break without guilt while it lasts.
4) Timer for Distractions
Yep, we know your phone is screeching “check me, please. You need to see this!!”. You want to see who is texting you, who uploaded a new post on Instagram etc. Its fine, go ahead and use your phone. But….time yourself. Otherwise, before you realise, you have been scrolling for an hour and your tasks are still pending. Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes before you start using your phone and when time runs out, you should (absolutely should) get back to work.
In addition to the above tips, it’s a must that you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Only if you do justice to your body and mind, it can do justice back to you when you need it. Eat right, sleep well and relax from time to time.
Stay tuned for more such posts on productivity tips for students and drop us an email (info@tutor-science.co.uk) if you have any suggestions for us.