How to manage your time at university

As a fourth year student who managed to come out of the last three years with a decent study and work result, I still find myself struggling with unlimited work to do, whether it is part-time jobs, academic study, social involvement, graduate job/internship application, and personal tasks, yet in such limited 24 hours per day. Everyone is in the same boat of the given timeframe and there’s no magic wand to create extra time for you just to have a little 10-minute lie-in which often turns out to be an hour or so. Time is a ruthless creature, isn’t it? Once it turns its back to you, you won’t see it again. However, rest assured, keep reading and you will find ways to use your time more effectively and remain a good work/life balance.

Source: http://www.simplemindfulness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Time-management1.jpg

Have a big picture

In the beginning of the academic year, get a yearly planner often distributed free of charge as a promotional material at freshers’ fair. Fill out fixed important events to gauge the gap between them and plan ahead, which may include:

• Coursework deadlines
• Exams
• Holidays
• Birthdays
• Socials

Keep adding more once you know them. This helps you grasp the big picture, spread out the preparation work, and avoid peak times when several significant events happen simultaneously. Below are some free templates you can use:

·         Link 1: Word format

·         Link 2: Word format

·         Link 3: Excel format

Source: http://www.st-theresas.leeds.sch.uk/calendars/present/year.jpg

Keep a weekly routine

Referring to the syllabus of academic modules, you may find recommended self-study hours per week. Try to stick to them in order to secure a good grade. It is up to you to spread this out a few hours per day or cram most hours into your lecture-free days. Reading University provides a simple calculation of weekly hours for a typical student here:

In one week there are 7 x 24 hours	= 168 hours
Subtract 8 hours a day for sleeping	= 112 hours
Subtract another 3 hours a day for eating, bathing, etc.	= 91 hours
Subtract 35 hours a week for study commitments	= 56 hours

Dividing by 7, you end up with 8 hours a day for sports, socials, household chores, paid work, family commitments, etc. Individual timetables may vary but you get the idea to personalise your own.

Regarding organising weekly tasks, a foolproof technique that works wonder for me is colour coding tasks in a daily planner; for instance, black for academia, blue for work, and red for extracurricular activities. I also use the same colour codes for weekly to-do list. This helps you evaluate if you spend an equal amount of time for each aspect of university life, maintain work-life balance, and prioritise what is more essential, not to mention the little self-satisfaction once tasks are ticked off.

Source: http://www.oremedy.com/images/student-daily-planner-gm.gif

Unfriend the thief of time – procrastination

Let’s face it – everyone, to some degree or another, has at least once been over-optimistic about their ability to complete a task on a tight deadline and hence gets distracted by their constant texts, new emails, interesting websites, tempting social invitation, and what not. I am not going to tell you what you should do to deal with procrastination but what I am sharing with you is three strategies that have positive effects on my self-discipline and focus. So you can analyse and judge if they will work well for you as well.

Source: http://purduecco.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/the-dangers-of-procrastination.jpg

Find my favourite places to study

I learn best in a quiet and bright environment where everyone else is also studying. Thus, finding and familiarising with a few comfortable spots in the library turns my thinking mode on. If friends kept interrupting and stay unfocused on their study, I’d set an agreed time for a short fresh air or coffee break.

 

Source: http://www.bookaxis.com/content/images/library.jpg

Concentrate on finding answers for specific questions whilst reading

Before reading, I jot down specific questions to get out from the material, keep checking and adding notes to their answers. That way, I save time reading 20 pages, for example when the answers only lie in a paragraph.

Give myself incentives

Who doesn’t like rewards, even if it’s self-incentivised? During the course of researching for coursework, I often stumble upon interesting things that may not be very relevant to the coursework itself. Instead of getting sidetracked, I bookmarked them as something to look forward to after finishing what has been set out to be done in that session.

All in all, I’m sure you all want to become a well-rounded person by getting involved with every aspect of university life. And yes, it would be in an ideal world if we had unlimited time. However, hopefully these non-exhaustive tips above help you manage your time better. What else has worked for you?

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