Some people have the time management thing down to a tee. They don’t hit the snooze button, they’re always punctual and their work is always handed in before the due date.
And then there are those who procrastinate on everything. They find themselves slaving away at tasks they should have started months before, causing them to panic and feel overwhelmed. If you fall into the latter category you might need to work on your time management because you could be sabotaging your success.
Here are a few things you need to know about time management.
Always late
There’s always that one student who enters a lecture hall late. They have to squeeze past people to get to a seat and they end up disrupting other students. If you’re guilty of this, then you should work on your time management skills. Coming late to class could make your lecturer feel like you don’t respect their time. And because of this, some lectures end up kicking students out who are late. Which means you could miss out on important information which could helpful for tests or assignments. Set your alarm clock 30 minutes earlier than your normal waking time so you’ll make it in time for class.
Quality of work
If you find yourself putting off your tasks until the last minute, you could end up producing sloppy work. When you’re pushed for time you won’t be able to check for grammatical errors and other mistakes. The lecturer will usually give you tests and assignments dates at the beginning of the semester. And this gives you enough time to prepare and plan your work. Preparing your work in advance will help produce quality work.
Goals
Set a study timetable and jot down a few goals in the beginning of the semester. Schedule which days you’ll prepare and study for your tests and assignments. Planning your daily routine and setting goals will help you stay on course. You need to make sure your goals are SMART. SMART is an acronym you can use to guide you when you want to reach your goals. Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
Organisation
You should be more organised. The more organised you are, the more efficient you’ll be. When you have a cluttered desk and you’re disorganised then it could take you longer to finish your tasks. For example, you could find yourself wasting valuable time trying to find your notes or your textbook.
Take breaks
Studying for long sessions without resting your brain could lessen your productivity. You need to take regular breaks whether it’s short naps or taking a walk around the corner. Working too hard can be emotionally draining and exhausting and you need to rest. Decide when you’ll take breaks and for how long and stick to your schedule.
Cut out distractions
You should try eliminating distractions when you want to be productive. Distractions end up wasting time and make it impossible to focus on the task at hand. For example, If you find that you can’t concentrate during class because you always end up chatting with your friend, then you should swap seats.
Sleep
If you leave your studies until the day before your tests you’re bound to feel overwhelmed and pressured. You’ll end up pulling caffeinated all-nighters. Which could result in you getting low marks or in the worst case scenario, failing. And that’s because our bodies need sleep, the brain needs to recharge and restore.
Stress
When you don’t know how to manage your time, you’ll have anxiety and stress. You’ll feel overwhelmed because you’ll find yourself constantly falling behind your work and having to work hard to try and catch up.
Procrastination
The saying goes, procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder. When you procrastinate you’re putting more pressure on yourself because you’re adding on to the work you need to do at a later stage. Procrastination robs you of productivity and slows things down. And then you end up feeling swamped with work. Nike’s slogan, “Just do it,” may have been inspired by a convicted killer’s last words but it should be applied when you’re in need of motivation. You need to just do it and you’ll thank yourself at a later stage.
You need to know how to manage your time whether you’re studying an HR management course or finance. When you enhance your time management skills you set yourself up for success. If you don’t, it’ll catch up with you, you’ll find yourself stressed and overwhelmed with work.