Being a student comes with many challenges and commitments, and without proper time management, it can get really hectic and cause the student to slack on their studies and perform poorly on assignments and exams. This can be caused due to procrastination, too many things going on at once, or even special circumstances that the student did not accommodate for. Therefore, proper time management skills, study habits, and ways to not fall behind need to be acquired.
Written by Ahmed Ahmed
Let’s take a look at some ways to improve time management skills to help stay on top of deadlines and exam preparation:
Create weekly schedules
At the beginning of each week or at the end of the weekend, make sure to set some time aside for yourself to schedule all the tasks, exams, and assignments that need to be done or studied for. The best way, in my opinion, is to jot things down as to-do lists as this will provide a sense of accomplishment each time a task is completed.
Schedules and to-do lists that you can cross things off from as tasks are completed help to boost motivation and helps you keep track of how many tasks are pending.
Simply completing tasks without keeping track is a potential pathway to burning out quicker.
Consider using your schedule to also plan weekly study sessions for each class! It is said that for every hour of class, you should spend two hours studying to better improve your understanding of the topics learned. Try to be as specific as possible so that no task is missed.
Prioritization is key
Sometimes different assignments or topics are harder to understand and require more time to complete or to study for. These types of topics or assignments should be prioritized, as often times, there is simply not enough time to finish everything.
Consider your strengths and weaknesses, the weighting of your tests/assignments, and sort out what order you think you can most effectively finish your tasks. Sometimes you may want to prioritize things you can finish quickly to get them out of the way, while other times you may want to study for tests that are worth more than your other assignments. With valid reason, you may be able to get extensions for certain tasks.
Use techniques that work specifically for you
Different people benefit from different study styles; experimentation and understanding what works best for you can save you a lot of time in the long-run, and may help to avoid procrastination because you would have the confidence to know what you need to do.
One technique that is used by many students is called the Pomodoro method, where 25 minutes of focused studying is done followed by a 5 minute break. During this break, technology-use should be prohibited, and a quick walk or stretching within the studying area is recommended. After 4 rounds of this method, a longer break of 20 minutes can be taken. This method can be altered if longer time blocks of studying are needed.
Another important method that can be used is the reward system, where when each task is completed, you can give yourself a treat, such as a piece of chocolate, helping to increase motivation. There are many more such techniques, but each student needs to find their own unique methods that work to their advantage.
Form study groups to motivate each other
When preparing weekly schedules, it can be beneficial to put time blocks to study with friends. By splitting content up, you may be able to accomplish more in a single sitting, and hearing different people explain concepts may help you understand them better. It is, however, important to ensure that study sessions focus on studying, as it can be easy to get distracted in group settings. To avoid this, consider meeting up in group study areas in libraries.
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