Better Time Management for Students

- Student time management tips for work, rest and play

Better time management for students is something everyone in education wants. The good news? It's nothing more than a set of skills and habits, both of which you can learn.

If you’re a student, you're also manager. You have to manage the most precious resource you, or anyone, has - your time.

• Your social life. Make time to do the things you want. You’re not going to give these up, right? Your social life is high on the priority list.

• Your academic success. Plan and produce quality work before deadlines. Last minute, all night cramming? Forget that! Learn how to do work as it comes in, not before it goes out.

• Your future prospects. Think about what you want to be, do or have, then actually make it happen.

Here are 10 tips to achieve better time management for students:

1. Know your current habits. How aware are you of the way you manage your time? Identifying your time wasters by changing bad habits is the first step to take to reduce their impact. Developing good study habits is the second.

2. Choose your friends. Business guru, Jim Rohn says "we are the average of the five people we spend most time with". Do your friends practice good study habits? Or do they do the opposite too often for your liking? Choose your social circle wisely.

3. Know your goal. What, exactly, are you aiming for? Clarity leads to success, so learning student goal setting makes a real difference.

4. Make your time matter. Do you value the hours that make up your week? Appreciating the importance of time management means more achievement in less time. Limit your study time to force an increase in your productivity.

5. Put fun first. Don’t deny yourself a good time. Make it a priority to enjoy yourself lots and often. Why?
   • That’s what life’s all about!
   • You’ll value your study time more.
6. Manage deadlines. Many people will leave work until the last minute. The result? Panic, stress and poor quality. Instead, develop good study habits and you'll be soon be overcoming procrastination.

7. Work to your week. Use a weekly planner template to work out your study ‘hot spots’ -– time windows you have where you'll be free and feel fresh.

8. Use a planner. Plenty of people have daily planners. Very few know how to really use one. Once you know how to make the most of it, your planner will become one of your most valued time management tools.

9. Reduce the resistence. Overwhelmed? Can’t face starting it? Reduce the resistence you feel using the ‘little and often’ principle. The slow burn of doing something daily, even if it's not much, is a surprisingly effective cure for procrastination.

10. Work in Quad 2. Did you know that your time is spent in a four quadrant time management matrix that makes up your life? Once you’re aware of the quadrants you can dictate them, not be dictated by them.

Of course, knowing how to improve time management for students matters, but remember - it's the actual doing that counts...

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