Learning How to Manage Your Time
As students, you'll often find yourselves juggling multiple important tasks, deadlines and responsibilities, both at College and at home. That's why time management is one of the most useful skills you can develop. This page has lots of resources to help you prioritise, stay organised and make the most of your time.
Planning and Scheduling
The best way to organise your time is to think ahead and create a schedule or plan for your tasks. You can create daily, weekly, or monthly schedules to allocate your time. Depending on what you prefer, you might like to use a physical diary or calendar, or use apps on your smartphone.
Why not download the calendar template shown and start filling it in? Start by adding your College timetable and any other important appointments or errands, then block in times to study or revise while keeping in mind your deadlines. Don't forget to add times to relax and have fun!
Useful apps include:
- Todoist
- Google Calendar
- Outlook Calendar (available to students via Office 365)
- Evernote
- Remember the Milk
Setting Clear Goals
If your list of tasks seems overwhelming and you don't know where to start, break them down into smaller, manageable tasks. Set yourself some SMART goals:
Specific
- Be specific about the task that you need to complete. Understand your objectives.
Measurable
- What metrics will determine your progress to completion? This could be word count.
Attainable
- How likely are you to complete this set task in the time you've allowed? Don't end up discouraged by setting yourself unachievable goals. Make sure you break those big tasks down into smaller, more managable tasks - e.g. Tackle that 3000 word essay by planning to write 500 words a day.
Relevant
- Remember what you're doing and why you're doing it. Are the goals you've set yourself relevant to the big picture?
Time-Bound
- Set your deadlines. If you have one major deadline looming (e.g. submission of an assignment) set yourself mini-deadlines before this (e.g. research finished by Monday, introduction written by Tuesday, etc) so you're not rushing to do everything in the last minute. Likewise, don't give yourself open-ended tasks that might go uncompleted because you never set yourself an end date.
Prioritisation and Time
When you have lots to do, it's important to learn how to prioritise your workload. Sometimes this means you need to focus on those tasks that have urgent deadlines approaching soon, and sometimes it means focusing on parts of your work that are most important or might comprise the bulk of your marks on an assignment.
If you need a little help deciding what are your most urgent and important tasks, there are a few techniques you can use:
- The Eisenhower Matrix (pictured)
- ABC Analysis
- MoSCoW Method
If you're struggling to stay focused on your tasks, there are also techniques to help your track time and keep your focus during study sessions:
- The Pomodoro Technique
- Distraction Management Apps/Sites
- 52/17 Method
Featured Books on Time Management
Useful Links
- Time Management Skills | The Open UniversityThe OU has created this handy guide to help you manage your study time effectively.
- 8 Time Management Tips for Students | Harvard UniversityDon't let a hectic schedule get the better of you with these time management tips.
- Time Management Tools for Neurodivergent IndividualsTime management can be especially challenging for neurodivergent individuals, who may have different cognitive styles and organizational needs.