Time management is the death of procrastination. It’s the key to success. The ability to manage time right will make you a successful individual in all aspects of life.
I came up with some tips based on my experience to improve your time management skills. They overlap and depend on each other, so read the whole thing to understand me better c:
1. Organize your due dates.
Planners or calendars will do the job. I like the calendar in my email app because it sends me notifications and I can access it from any device. You can read more information about the organization in my previous post.
2. Plan your day.
This is very important. As a student or a professional, we always have to know what is going on today so we don’t miss anything.
What I usually do:
I look at my schedule and calendar in the morning or the night before and decide what I need to do today. You can write down everything you need to do. Personally, I almost never write to-do lists because I keep everything in my head (I forget things sometimes though, so it’s not the best way). I feel like I do more from my “list” if I don’t write it down. Weird… I know!
What I also do, I set up an order of the things I need to get done in my head. The order is important because this way you do things more efficiently and save time. For example: if you have an hour break first and a 20 minutes break second, complete a longer assignment first and the shorter one second. It’s common sense, but when you don’t keep things like this in mind, you miss them, and then you regret.
3. Start in advance.
That’s easier said than done. When I was a freshman I would procrastinate for days and then I would pull an all-nighter the night before. I would stress so much that I would literally cry. After my first semester, I understood that things can’t keep on like this. It’s just not healthy and you don’t learn anything.
Keep up with you planner/calendar and try to finish your work several days before you have to submit it.
4. Use your waiting time.
Being a junior I have huge gaps in between classes. My first online class really taught me how to use this precious time. I would work on assignments or online tests while waiting for my next class. I love doing this because when I come home I usually don’t have any homework left, and I can watch as many shows as I want!
5. Prioritize your assignments
We’ve all been in the situation when we have so much to do but not enough time for everything. In cases like this, do assignments worth more points first, and the easier assignments second. This way you can reduce the damage. And next time start doing homework in advance to avoid cases like this.
6. Rest only if you need it not because you're being lazy
This is a huge one! At least for me. I’m a very lazy person and I hate it, however, I found a way to partially overcome this. When I wanna go have some rest and do my own thing, I check my imaginary to-do list for what’s left in it. If I have something left, I complete it. If I don’t have anything I would go clean around the apartment, and then I can rest. This system requires high self-control and motivation. My motivation is 4.0 GPA and thinking that I’ll stress less if do it now. You need to find your motivation. Also, it’s way more rewarding if you relax after you’re done with all your work rather than when you have a boatload of stuff to do. Of course, I have lazy days, no one is perfect. I can only let myself being lazy when I know I don’t have homework or exams so I don’t fail anything.
Procrastination is not cool or funny; it won’t build your career and bring you money. Only hard work will.
// This post isnt mine but I love it so much I wanted to share it with you today. I found it here.
I came up with some tips based on my experience to improve your time management skills. They overlap and depend on each other, so read the whole thing to understand me better c:
1. Organize your due dates.
Planners or calendars will do the job. I like the calendar in my email app because it sends me notifications and I can access it from any device. You can read more information about the organization in my previous post.
2. Plan your day.
This is very important. As a student or a professional, we always have to know what is going on today so we don’t miss anything.
What I usually do:
I look at my schedule and calendar in the morning or the night before and decide what I need to do today. You can write down everything you need to do. Personally, I almost never write to-do lists because I keep everything in my head (I forget things sometimes though, so it’s not the best way). I feel like I do more from my “list” if I don’t write it down. Weird… I know!
What I also do, I set up an order of the things I need to get done in my head. The order is important because this way you do things more efficiently and save time. For example: if you have an hour break first and a 20 minutes break second, complete a longer assignment first and the shorter one second. It’s common sense, but when you don’t keep things like this in mind, you miss them, and then you regret.
3. Start in advance.
That’s easier said than done. When I was a freshman I would procrastinate for days and then I would pull an all-nighter the night before. I would stress so much that I would literally cry. After my first semester, I understood that things can’t keep on like this. It’s just not healthy and you don’t learn anything.
Keep up with you planner/calendar and try to finish your work several days before you have to submit it.
4. Use your waiting time.
Being a junior I have huge gaps in between classes. My first online class really taught me how to use this precious time. I would work on assignments or online tests while waiting for my next class. I love doing this because when I come home I usually don’t have any homework left, and I can watch as many shows as I want!
5. Prioritize your assignments
We’ve all been in the situation when we have so much to do but not enough time for everything. In cases like this, do assignments worth more points first, and the easier assignments second. This way you can reduce the damage. And next time start doing homework in advance to avoid cases like this.
6. Rest only if you need it not because you're being lazy
This is a huge one! At least for me. I’m a very lazy person and I hate it, however, I found a way to partially overcome this. When I wanna go have some rest and do my own thing, I check my imaginary to-do list for what’s left in it. If I have something left, I complete it. If I don’t have anything I would go clean around the apartment, and then I can rest. This system requires high self-control and motivation. My motivation is 4.0 GPA and thinking that I’ll stress less if do it now. You need to find your motivation. Also, it’s way more rewarding if you relax after you’re done with all your work rather than when you have a boatload of stuff to do. Of course, I have lazy days, no one is perfect. I can only let myself being lazy when I know I don’t have homework or exams so I don’t fail anything.
Procrastination is not cool or funny; it won’t build your career and bring you money. Only hard work will.
// This post isnt mine but I love it so much I wanted to share it with you today. I found it here.
