Time Management Skills

 If you are a student and trying your best to cope up with time pressure, there is one important thing you should always remember- work smarter and not harder.

Managing time is a skill which can be mastered by thinking and acting smartly. Many times students put in great efforts in improving their time management skills, but at the end they realize that no matter how much effort they put, they always end up defeated in attaining the goals they set. This is the result of working hard in managing their time.

What do you mean by being smart in time managment? You do not have to increase your efforts. You only have to focus twice as hard the first time so you do not need a second or third attempt. If you can avoid multiple attempts, you save a lot of time and your schedule remains on track too.

You just have to be ahead of your plans and double the effort needed. This is how smart time management. If students learn how to make this work, they will be able to keep up and survive the demanding academic life that they are facing.

Oftentimes, students encounter some mistakes in their overall time management skills that can hinder and even stop them from making their way smoothly towards the attainment of their goals.

What are the common mistakes students make in time managment?

1. Starting the day without an action plan.

The most important thing in time management is doing things right and not doing it fast. The latter just results in not achieving anything. It is best to have a specific goal for the day. What do you want to accomplish? How will you go about accomplishing those things?

Begin doing when the day begins so you can attain your tasks by the end of the day.

2. No stability in life.

It is said that life is comprised of seven important areas. These are family, health, intellectual, financial, professional, social and spiritual. As a student, you cannot spend equal amounts of time to all these things. There may be some areas where you need to focus more on a certain day and other areas for a different day.

All these areas are related to each other. One cannot work properly without being dependent on some. That is why you need to balance your time in these different areas to be more stable and at peace.

It may seem difficult initially to adjust your time in all the areas of your life. But you can attend to all areas if you plan your time properly.

3. Untidy and chaotic study area.

Ever noticed that when there are a lot of things around you, you get distracted easily? Not only you lose your concentration and your mind starts drifting away from work, you lose the enthusiasm and feel sad about studying.

Compare this to a clean and arranged area. You will not feel buried among the mess and you can focus on the task at hand.

This is the same reason that office workers are effective. You do not see any mess lying around their work station much. They maintain a clean and cluster free environment so it will be easy to move around without any distractions. This same principle should be applied to your study area.

4. Not enough sleep.

According to studies, almost 75% of most students are constantly complaining of being tired easily. Some even get tired even before the day is finished. It is not that they lack any sleep. A few are even disciplined enough to get the 8-10 hours sleep that is needed. What is lacking in them is quantity and quality sleep.

It seems that students are so stressed out throughout the day; studying hard and sometimes getting out of control, that they find it difficult to get a full night’s sleep.

Try to put away all your worries and problems when you go to bed. Remember, when you tackle one thing at a time, you will be at your best. Think only about sleep when you sleep. You will notice that you can sleep easily. In the morning, you will then feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day with a clear and focused mind.

Lot of times stress causes you to not to sleep and follow your time calendar. If you were not stressful, you could have worked as per schedule. Sometimes speculations of problems also cause stress. In such scenario, think and list down all your worries and concerns that cause stress. You will find things are not as stressful as you thought they are.

As a student, you have an advantage of early learning when you try to master time management skills. You can commit mistakes too, it’s just that you should learn from them and find your way out.