Time Management
Learning Objectives
Examine how your personality and time management are related;
Evaluate how you spend your time;
Define and practice different time management strategies;
Recognize how you can battle procrastination.
“The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.”
– James Baldwin
TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Time management is critical to student success. When you know what you want to do, why not just sit down and get it done? People who complain frequently about “not having enough time” would love it if it were that simple! Time management isn’t actually difficult, but you do need to learn how to do it well.
Time and You
People’s attitudes toward time vary. Some people are always rushing while others are unconcerned about time. Since there are so many different “time personalities,” it’s important to realize how you approach time. Start by trying to figure out how you spend your time during a typical week, using the following activity.
Your Turn: Activity
WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?
Use a sheet of paper or a document to account for a week’s worth of time. For each of the activity categories listed, make your best estimate and list the number of hours you spend on them in a week. (For categories that are about the same every day, just estimate for one day and multiply by seven.) You may also find it helpful to use an online Daily Schedule Calculator, www.bit.ly/C20_DailySchedCalc, developed by the California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative.
Sleeping;
Eating (including preparing food);
Personal hygiene (i.e., bathing, etc.);
Working (employment);
Volunteer service or internship;
Chores, cleaning, errands, shopping, etc.;
Attending class;
Studying, reading, and researching (outside of class);
Transportation to work or school;
Getting to classes (walking, biking, etc.);
Organized group activities (clubs, church services, etc.);
Time with friends (including television, video games, etc.);
Attending events (movies, parties, etc.);
Time alone (including television, video games, surfing the Web, etc.);
Exercise or sports activities;
Reading for fun or other interests done alone;
Talking on phone, email, Facebook, etc.;
Other—specify:
Now use your calculator to total your estimated hours. Is your number larger or smaller than 168, the total number of hours in a week? If your estimate is higher, go back through your list and adjust numbers to be more realistic. But if your estimated hours total fewer than 168, don’t just go back and add more time in certain categories. Instead, ponder this question: Where does the time go? People who estimate too high often feel they don’t have enough time. They may experience anxiety and often feel frustrated. People at the other extreme, who often can’t account for how they use all their time, may have a more relaxed attitude. They may not actually have any free time, but they may be wasting more time on less important things than they realize.
People also differ in how they respond to schedule changes. Some go with the flow and accept changes easily, while others function well only when following a planned schedule and may become upset if things change. If you dislike unexpected disruptions in your day, schedule some free time into your calendar to account for the unexpected. This is all part of understanding your time personality.
Another aspect of your time personality involves time of day. Are you more alert and focused in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Do you concentrate best when you are anticipating a relaxing activity later on, or do you study better when you’ve finished all other activities? Do you function well if you get up early—or stay up late—to accomplish a task? How does that affect the rest of your day or the next day? Understanding this will help you better plan your study periods.
While you may not be able to change your “time personality,” you can learn to manage your time more effectively. The key is to be realistic. How accurate is the number of hours you wrote down in the activity? The best way to know how you spend your time is to record what you do all day in a time log, every day for a week, and then add that up.
HOW DO YOU USE TIME?
Time management for successful college students involves these factors:
Determining how much time you need to spend studying;
Knowing how much time you actually have for studying and increasing that time if needed;
Being aware of the times of day you are at your best and most focused;
Using effective long- and short-term study strategies;
Scheduling study activities in realistic segments;
Using a system to plan ahead and set priorities;
Staying motivated to follow your plan and avoid procrastination.
Study Formula
For every hour in the classroom, college students are expected to spend, on average, two hours outside of class dedicated to studying for each hour in class. Studying includes: reviewing lecture notes, reading assigned materials, creating flashcards, writing papers, doing homework, and so on.
If you are a full-time student registered in fifteen units, this means you are in class about fifteen hours a week. Applying the study formula mentioned above, you should dedicate thirty (15 x 2 = 30) hours a week for studying. A fifteen unit course load translates into a forty-five hour a week commitment, which is about the same as a typical full-time job. If you hold a part time or full time job, then time management skills are even more essential to succeed in college.
Think back on the number of hours you wrote in the last activity for a week of studying. Did you account for two hours of study time for every hour in class? Many students begin college not knowing the study formula. Remember this is just an average amount of study time—you may need more or less for your own courses. To be safe, and to help ensure your success, add another five to ten hours a week for studying. Doing this will ensure true learning throughout the semester and will help you avoid cramming before exams.
To reserve this study time, you may need to adjust how much time you spend in other activities. Activity 1 will help you figure out what your typical week should be like.
The Where Does The Time Go? activity shows most college students that they do actually have plenty of time for their studies without losing sleep or giving up their social life. But you may have less time for discretionary activities than in the past. Something, somewhere has to give. That’s part of time management—and why it’s important to keep focused on your goals and priorities. The other part is to learn how to use the time you do have as effectively as possible, especially your study time.
If you’re a new college student who plans to study for three hours each evening but procrastinates and intentionally (often habitually) puts things off until another day or time, and gets caught up in a conversation, loses time to social media, email and text messages, listens to loud music while reading a textbook, then maybe you actually spent four hours “studying” in total, however only two of those hours were dedicated to productive work. In this scenario, you end up behind and feeling like you’re still studying way too much. The goal of time management is to actually get three hours of studying done in three hours and have time for your life as well.
Special Note for Students who Work
You may have almost no discretionary time available after all your “must-do” activities. If so, you may have overextended yourself—a situation that inevitably will lead to problems. You can’t sleep two hours less every night for the whole school year, for example, without becoming ill or unable to concentrate well on work and school. It is better to recognize this situation now rather than set yourself up for a very difficult term and possible failure. If you cannot cut the number of hours for work or other obligations, talk to your counselor right away. It is better to take fewer classes and succeed than to take more classes than you have time for and risk failure and jeopardizing your wellbeing.
TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
The following are some strategies you can begin using immediately to make the most of your time:
Prepare to be successful. When planning ahead for studying, think yourself into the right mood. Focus on the positive. “When I get these chapters read tonight, I’ll be ahead in studying for the next test, and I’ll also have plenty of time tomorrow to do X.” Visualize yourself studying well;
Use your best—and most appropriate—time of day. Different tasks require different mental skills. For some kinds of studying, you may be able to start first thing in the morning as you wake, while others may need your most alert moments at another time;
Break up large projects into small pieces. Whether it’s writing a paper for class, studying for a final exam, or reading a long assignment or full book, students often feel daunted at the beginning of a large project. It’s easier to get going if you break it up into stages that you schedule at separate times—and then begin with the first section that requires only an hour or two;
Do the most important studying first. When two or more things require your attention, do the more crucial one first. If something happens and you can’t complete everything, you’ll be less stressed knowing the more crucial task is complete;
If you have trouble getting started, do an easier task first. Like large tasks, complex or difficult ones can be daunting. If you can’t get going, switch to an easier task you can accomplish quickly. This will give you momentum, and often you feel more confident tackling the difficult task after being successful in the first one;
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed because you have too much to do, revisit your planner. Sometimes it’s hard to get started if you keep thinking about other things you need to get done. Review your schedule for the next few days and make sure everything important is scheduled, then relax and concentrate on the task at hand;
If you’re really floundering, talk to someone. Maybe you just don’t understand what you should be doing. Talk with your professor or another student to clarify the assignment and help get back on track;
Take a break. We all need breaks to help us concentrate without becoming fatigued and burned out. As a general rule, a short break every hour or so is effective in helping recharge your study energy. Get up and move around to get your blood flowing, clear your thoughts, and work off stress;
Use unscheduled times to work ahead. You’ve scheduled that hundred pages of reading for later today, but you have the textbook with you as you’re waiting for the bus. Start reading now, or flip through the chapter to get a sense of what you’ll be reading later. Either way, you’ll save time later. You may be amazed how much studying you can get done during downtimes throughout the day;
Keep your momentum. Prevent distractions, such as multitasking, that will only slow you down. Check for messages, for example, only at scheduled break times;
Reward yourself. It’s not easy to sit still for hours of studying. When you successfully complete the task, you should feel good and deserve a small reward. A healthy snack, a quick video game session, or social activity can help you feel even better about your successful use of time;
Just say no. Always tell others nearby when you’re studying, to reduce the chances of being interrupted. Still, interruptions happen, and if you are in a situation where you are frequently interrupted by a family member, spouse, roommate, or friend, it helps to have your “no” prepared in advance: “No, I really have to be ready for this test” or “That’s a great idea, but let’s do it tomorrow—I just can’t today.” You shouldn’t feel bad saying no—especially if you communicated in advance;
Make time for yourself. Never schedule your day or week so full of work and study that you have no time at all for yourself, your family and friends, and your larger life;
Use a calendar planner and daily to-do list. We’ll explore these time management tools in the next section.
Time Management Tips for Students Who Work
If you’re working and taking classes, you may not have large blocks of free time. Avoid temptations to stay up very late studying, for losing sleep can lead to a downward spiral in performance at both work and school. Instead, try to follow these guidelines:
If possible, adjust your work or sleep hours so that you don’t spend your most productive times at work. If your job offers flexible scheduling, arrange your schedule to be free to study at times when you perform best;
Try to arrange your class and work schedules to minimize commuting time. If you are a part- time student taking two classes, taking classes back-to-back two or three days a week uses less time than spreading them out over four or five days. Working four 10-hour days rather than five 8-hour days reduces time lost to travel, getting ready for work, and so on;
If your employer does not offer flexibility with scheduling, consider online courses that allow you to do most of the work on your own time;
Use your daily and weekly planner conscientiously. Any time you have 30 minutes or more free, schedule a study activity;
Consider your “body clock” when you schedule activities. Plan easier tasks for those times when you’re often fatigued and reserve alert times for more demanding tasks;
Be aware of any “hidden” time potentials. For example, you may prefer the 30-minute drive to work over a 45-minute train ride. However, being on the train gives you time to read during your commute. That’s 150 minutes of reading every week. An hour a day can make a huge difference in your studies;
Can you do quick study tasks during your break at work? Take your class notes with you and review during your free time;
Remember your long-term goals. You need to work, but you also want to finish your college program. If you have the opportunity to volunteer for some overtime, consider whether it’s really worth it. Sure, the extra money would help, but could the extra time put you at risk for not doing well in your classes?
Be as organized on the job as you are academically. Use your planner and to-do list for work matters, too. The better organized you are at work, the less stress you’ll feel and the more successful you’ll be as a student also.
If you have a family as well as a job, your time is even more limited. In addition to the previous tips, try some of the strategies that follow.
Time Management Tips for Students With Families
Living with family members leads to additional demands on your time. You may have family obligations that require careful time management. Use all the strategies described earlier, adding family time in your daily plans the same way you would plan hours spent at work. Don’t assume that you’ll be “free” every hour you’re home because family events or a family member’s need for your assistance may occur at unexpected times. Schedule your important academic work well ahead and in blocks of time you can control. You may need to use the library or another space to ensure you are not interrupted or distracted during important study times.
Students with their own families are likely to feel time pressures. After all, you can’t just tell your partner or kids that you’ll be with them in a couple years when you’re not so busy with your job and college! In addition to all the planning and study strategies discussed so far, you also need to manage your family relationships and time spent with family. There’s no magical solution for making more hours in the day. But, here are some ways to balance your life well:
Talk to your family members to garner their support. Share with your family members the changes that can occur with you going to school. Don’t shock them with sudden household changes. Keep communication lines open so that your partner and children feel they’re together with you in this new adventure;
Enjoy family time and appreciate every moment you are together, whatever you’re doing. You may not have as much time together as before, but cherish the time you do have—even if it’s washing dishes together or cleaning house. If you’ve been studying for two hours and need a break, spend the next ten minutes with family instead of checking email or streaming television. Ultimately, the important thing is being together;
Combine activities to get the most out of your time. Don’t let your children busy themselves with the television or play video games by themselves while you’re cooking dinner. Instead, bring the family together in the kitchen and give everyone something to do. You can have a lot of fun together and share daily chores. This will help you to not feel so guilty when you have to go off and study by yourself;
Share the load. Even children who are very young can help with household chores to give you more time. Attitude is everything. Try to make it fun for the whole family to work together, not something they “have” to do and may resent just because Mom or Dad went back to school. (Remember, your kids will reach college age someday, and you want them to have a good attitude about college.) As they get older, they can do their own laundry, cook meals, and get themselves off to school. Older teens can run errands and do the grocery shopping. They will gain in the process by becoming more responsible and independent;
Schedule your study time based on family activities. If you face interruptions from young children in the early evening, use that time for something simple like reviewing class notes. When you need more quiet time for concentrated reading, wait until they’ve gone to bed;
Be creative with child care. Usually options are available, possibly involving extended family members, sitters, older siblings, cooperative child care with other adult students, as well as child-care centers. You might also be able to take your child along to campus when you attend an evening course, if there is somewhere the child can quietly read. Make sure to ask your professor. At home, let your child have a friend over to play with. Network with other older students and learn what has worked for them. Explore all possibilities to ensure you have time to meet your college goals. And don’t feel guilty: “daycare babies” grow up just as healthy psychologically as those raised in the home full time.
Time Management Tips for Student Athletes
Student athletes often face unique time pressures because of the amount of time required for training, practice, and competition. During some parts of the year, athletics may involve as many hours as a full- time job. The athletic schedule can be grueling, involving weekend travel and intensive blocks of time. You may be exhausted after workouts or competitions, affecting how well you can concentrate on studies thereafter. Students on athletic scholarships often feel their sport is their most important reason for being in college, and this priority can affect their attitudes toward studying. For all of these reasons, student athletes face special time management challenges. Here are some tips for succeeding in both your sport and academics:
Realize that even if your sport is more important to you, you risk everything if you don’t also succeed in your academics. Failing one class in your first year will require you to make up that class and you’ll end up spending more time on the subject than if you’d studied more to pass it the first time;
It’s critical to plan ahead. If you have a big test or a paper due the Monday after a big weekend game, start early. Use your weekly planner to plan well in advance. For example, make it a goal to have the paper done by Friday instead of thinking you can magically get it done Sunday night after victory celebrations. Working ahead will also free your mind to focus better on your sport;
Accept that you have two priorities (your sport and classes) and that both come before your social life. That’s just how it is for a college athlete. If it helps, think of your classes as your job. You have to “study” just like others have to go to work;
Use your planner to take advantage of any downtime you have during the day between classes and at lunch. Other students may seem to have the luxury of studying during much of the afternoon when you’re at practice. While they can get away with hanging out between classes, you don’t have that time available, especially during the season. You need to use all the time you can find to keep up with your studying;
Stay on top of your courses and don’t fall behind. Once you are behind, you’ll lose momentum and find it more difficult to understand what’s going on in the class. The stress will also affect your athletic performance;
Get help when you need it. Many athletic departments offer tutoring services or referrals for extra help. Don’t wait until you’re at risk for failing a class before seeking help. A tutor won’t take your test or write your paper for you. They can only help you focus on using your time productively in your studies. You have to want to succeed.
Calendars and Planners
Calendar planners and to-do lists are effective ways to organize your time. Many types of academic planners are commercially available (check your college bookstore), or you can make your own. Some people like a page for each day, and some like a week at a time. Some use computer calendars and planners. Any system will work well if you use it consistently.
Some college students think they don’t need to actually write down their schedule and daily to-do lists. But, it is easy to forget when you have lots going on.
Calendars and planners help you plan ahead and write in important dates and deadlines so you don’t forget. But it’s just as important to use the planner to schedule your own time, not just deadlines. For example, you’ll learn that the most effective way to study for an exam is to study in several short periods over several days. You can easily do this by choosing time slots in your weekly planner over several days that you will commit to studying for this test. You don’t need to fill every time slot, or to schedule every single thing that you do. But, the more carefully and consistently you use your planner, the more successfully you will manage your time.
But a planner cannot contain every single thing that may occur in a day. We’d be instantly overwhelmed if we tried to schedule every telephone call, every email, every bill to pay, every trip to the grocery store. For these items, we use a to-do list, which may be kept on a separate page in the planner.
Below is an image of a sample weekly planner. You can copy this page and begin using it. Fill in this planner for next week.
Write in all your class meeting times; your work or volunteer schedule; and your usual hours for sleep, family activities, and any other activities at fixed times. Don’t forget time needed for transportation, meals, and so on. Your first goal is to find all the blocks of “free time” that are left over. Remember that this is an academic planner. Don’t try to schedule everything in your life—this is to plan ahead to use your study time most effectively;
Check the syllabus for each of your courses and write important dates in the planner. If your planner has pages for the whole term, write in all exams and deadlines. Use red ink or a highlighter for these key dates. Write them in the hour slot for the class when the test occurs or when the paper is due. (If you don’t yet have a planner large enough for the whole term, use the Weekly Planner in Figure 3.2 and write any deadlines for your second week in the margin to the right. You need to know what’s coming next week to help schedule how you’re studying this week.
Sample Weekly Planner
Remember that for every hour spent in class, plan an average of 2 to 3 hours of studying outside of class. These are the time periods you now want to schedule in your planner. These times change from week to week, with one course requiring more time in one week because of a paper due at the end of the week and a different course requiring more the next week because of a major exam. Make sure you block out enough hours in the week to accomplish what you need to do. As you choose your study times, consider what times of day you are at your best and what times you prefer to use for social or other activities. Don’t try to micromanage your schedule. Don’t try to estimate exactly how many minutes you’ll need two weeks from today to read a given chapter in a given textbook. Instead, just choose the blocks of time you will use for your studies. Don’t yet write in the exact study activity—just reserve the block.
Next, go over the major deadlines for projects and exams that you wrote in earlier. Estimate how much time you may need for each and work backward on the schedule from the due date. For example, you have a short paper due on Friday. You determine that you’ll spend 10 hours total on it, from initial brainstorming and planning to drafting and revising. Since you have other things also going on that week, you should start early. You might choose to block an hour a week ahead on Saturday morning to brainstorm your topic and jot down some preliminary notes. Monday evening is a good time to spend 2 hours on the next step or prewriting activities. Since you have a lot of time open Tuesday afternoon, you decide that’s the best time to reserve to write the first draft. You block out 3 to 4 hours. You make a note on the schedule to leave time open that afternoon to talk to your instructor during office hours in case you have any questions on the paper. If not, you’ll finish the draft or start revising. On Thursday, you schedule a last block of time to revise and polish the final draft that is due Friday.
If you’re surprised by this amount of planning, you may be the kind of student who used to think, “The paper is due Friday. I have enough time Thursday afternoon, so I’ll write it then.” What’s wrong with that? First, college work is more demanding than many first-year students realize, and the instructor expects higher-quality work than you can churn out quickly without revising. Second, if you are tired on Thursday because you didn’t sleep well Wednesday night, you may be much less productive than you hoped. Without a time buffer, you’re forced to turn in a paper that is not your best work.
The image below, "Example of a Student’s Weekly Planner Page with Class Times and Important Study Sessions" shows what one student’s schedule is like for a week. This is intended only to show you one way to block out time. You’ll quickly find a way that works best for you.
Example of a Student’s Weekly Planner Page with Class Times and Important Study Sessions
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has developed an Interactive Study Schedule. You may use this tool to create a printable class/study schedule to help you plan your time during the week. To access the interactive study schedule visit the CCC Online Education Initiative Study Schedule webpage, http://bit.ly/C20StudySchedule.
Add your courses and study times to the first column;
Select the appropriate days of the week;
Enter start and end times and select a color to color-code items in your chart;
As you fill out each row, your schedule will populate. Add additional rows as you need them. The first row is used as an example and will not be added to your schedule;
Once you have entered all of your information click "Print Schedule" to produce a hard copy for reference.
Refer to the sample below:
Digital Calendar Creator Example
Here are some more tips for successful schedule planning:
Studying is often most effective immediately after a class meeting. If your schedule allows, block out appropriate study time after class periods;
Be realistic about time when you make your schedule. If your class runs to 4 p.m. and it takes you 20 minutes to wrap things up and reach your study location, don’t figure you’ll have a full hour of study between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.;
Don’t overdo it. Few people can study 4 to 5 hours nonstop. Scheduling extended time periods like that may just set you up for failure;
Schedule social events that occur at set times, but just leave holes in the schedule for other activities. Enjoy those open times and recharge yourself;
Try to schedule some time for exercise at least three days a week;
Plan to use your time between classes wisely. If three days a week you have the same hour free between two classes, what should you do with those three hours;
Use it to review your notes from the previous class or for the next class. Read a short assignment. Over the whole term, that hour three times a week adds up to a lot of study time;
If a study activity is taking longer than you had scheduled, plan ahead and adjust your weekly planner to prevent the stress of falling behind schedule;
If you maintain your schedule on your computer or smartphone, it’s still a good idea to print and carry it with you. Don’t risk losing valuable study time if you’re away from the device;
If you’re not paying close attention to everything in your planner, use a colored highlighter to mark the times blocked out for really important things;
When following your schedule, pay attention to start and stop times. If you planned to start your test review at 4 p.m. after an hour of reading for a different class, don’t let the reading run long and take time away from studying for the test.
To-Do Lists
People use to-do lists in different ways, and you should find what works best for you. As with your planner, consistent use of your to-do list will make it an effective habit. Some people prefer not to carry their planner everywhere, but instead copy the key information for the day onto a to-do list. Using this approach, your daily to-do list starts out with your key scheduled activities and then adds other things you hope to do today. Some people use their to-do list only for things not on their planner, such as short errands, phone calls or email. This still includes important things, but they’re not scheduled out for specific times.
Although we call it a daily list, the to-do list can also include things you may not get to today but don’t want to forget about. Keeping these things on the list, even if they’re a low priority, helps ensure that eventually you’ll get to it.
Start every day with a fresh to-do list written in a special small notebook or on a clean page in your planner. Check your planner for key activities for the day and check yesterday’s list for items remaining. Some items won’t require much time, but other activities such as assignments will. Include a time estimate for these so that later you can do them when you have enough free time. If you finish lunch and have 25 minutes left before your next class, think of things on the list you can do now and check them off.
Examples of Two Different Students’ To-Do Lists
Finally, use some system to prioritize things on your list. Some students use a 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C rating system for importance. Others simply highlight or circle items that are critical to get done today. The image "Examples of Two Different Students’ To-Do Lists" shows two different to-do lists. Each is very different but equally effective.
Use whatever format works best for you to prioritize or highlight the most important activities. Here are some more tips for effectively using your daily to-do list:
Be specific: “Read history chapter 2 (30 pages)”—not “History homework;”
Put important things high on your list where you’ll be reminded of them every time you check the list;
Make your list at the same time every day so that it becomes a habit;
Don’t make your list overwhelming. If you added everything you eventually need to do, you could end up with so many things on the list that you’d never read through them all. If you worry you might forget something, write it in the margin of your planner’s page a week or two away;
Use your list. Lists often include little things that may take only a few minutes to do, so check your list any time during the day you have free time;
Cross out or check off things after you’ve done them. Doing this becomes rewarding;
Don’t use your to-do list to procrastinate. Don’t pull it out to find something else you just “have” to do instead of studying!
Your Turn: Activity
TIME MANAGEMENT REVIEW
On a sheet of paper or document, answer the following questions:
What time(s) of day are you at your most alert?
What time(s) of day are you at your least alert?
What category of discretionary activity (not sleeping, working, studying, etc.) represents your largest use of time?
Can you reduce the time you spend in that activity if you need more time for your coursework?
For each of the following statements about time management, answer T for true or F for false:
Think yourself into a positive mood before starting to study;
Always study just before going to sleep so that you’ll dream about the topic;
Break up larger projects into smaller parts and stages;
Get everything done on your to-do list before studying so that you’re not distracted;
When feeling stressed by a project, put it off until tomorrow;
Talk with your instructor or another student if you’re having difficulty;
Try to study at least three hours at a time before taking a break;
Reward yourself for successfully completing a task;
Avoid studying at times not written in on your weekly planner; these are all free times just for fun;
Whenever interrupted by a friend, use that opportunity to take a break for up to thirty minutes;
Turn off all electronic devices when reading an assignment except for your laptop if you use it to take notes;
Since people procrastinate when they’re distracted by other things that need doing, it’s best to delay studying until you’ve done everything else first;
Studying with a friend is a sure way to waste time and develop poor study habits;
Use a study journal to observe how you use your time and determine what things are keeping you from getting your work done;
There’s no reason to keep a weekly calendar if all your instructors have provided you with a syllabus that gives the dates for all assignments and tests;
Studying for a particular class is most effective immediately after that class meets.
Without referring to your planner, to-do list, or anything else in writing, quickly write a list of everything you need to do in the next few days. Then go through your planner, to-do list, and any other class notes for anything you missed. What might you have forgotten or delayed if you weren’t keeping a planner and to-do list?
Without referring to your weekly or daily schedule, think about your typical week and the free time you have when not in class, working, studying, eating, and socializing, and so on. List at least three “downtimes” when you don’t usually study that you can use for coursework when necessary.
BATTLING PROCRASTINATION
Procrastination is a way of thinking that lets one put off doing something that should be done now. This can happen to anyone at any time. It’s like a voice inside your head keeps coming up with these brilliant ideas for things to do right now other than studying: “I really ought to get this room cleaned up before I study” or “I can study anytime, but tonight’s the only chance I have to do X.” That voice is also very good at rationalizing: “I really don’t need to read that chapter now; I’ll have plenty of time tomorrow at lunch.…”
Procrastination is very powerful. Some people battle it daily, others only occasionally. Most college students procrastinate often, and about half say they need help avoiding procrastination. Procrastination can threaten one’s ability to do well on an assignment or test.
People procrastinate for different reasons. Some people are too relaxed in their priorities, seldom worry, and easily put off responsibilities. Others worry constantly, and that stress keeps them from focusing on the task at hand. Some procrastinate because they fear failure; others procrastinate because they fear success or are such perfectionists that they don’t want to let themselves down. Some are dreamers. Many different factors are involved, and there are different styles of procrastinating.
Just as there are different causes, there are different possible solutions for procrastination. Different strategies work for different people. The time management strategies described earlier can help you avoid procrastination. Because this is a psychological issue, some additional psychological strategies can also help:
Since procrastination is usually a habit, accept that and work on breaking it as you would any other bad habit: one day at a time. Know that every time you overcome feelings of procrastination, the habit becomes weaker. Eventually, you’ll have a new habit of being able to start studying right away;
Schedule times for studying using a daily or weekly planner. Carry it with you and refer to it often. Just being aware of the time and what you need to do today can help you get organized and stay on track;
If you keep thinking of something else you might forget to do later (making you feel like you “must” do it now), write yourself a note about it for later and get it out of your mind;
Counter a negative with a positive. If you’re procrastinating because you’re not excited about a certain task, try to think of the positive future result of doing the work;
Counter a negative with a worse negative. If thinking about the positive results of completing the task doesn’t motivate you to get started, think about what could happen if you keep procrastinating. You’ll have to study tomorrow instead of doing something fun you had planned. Or you could fail the test. Some people can jolt themselves right out of procrastination;
On the other hand, fear causes procrastination in some people. Don’t dwell on the thought of failing. If you’re studying for a test and you’re so afraid of failing it, you won’t be able to focus on studying and will start procrastinating. Instead, try to put things in perspective. Even if it’s your most difficult class and you don’t understand everything about the topic, that doesn’t mean you’ll fail;
Study with a motivated friend. Form a study group with other students who are motivated and won’t procrastinate along with you. You’ll learn good habits from them while getting the work done now;
Keep a study journal. At least once a day write an entry about how you have used your time and whether you succeeded with your schedule for the day. If not, identify what factors kept you from doing your work. This journal will help you be aware of your own habits and distractions so that you can avoid things that lead to procrastination;
Get help. If you really can’t stay on track with your study schedule or if you’re always putting things off until the last minute, talk to a college counselor. They have lots of experience with this common student problem and can help you find ways to overcome this habit.
After an hour of studying, the idea of continuing to study is dreadful, UNBEARABLE! Your brain stops retaining new information. Your mind can’t stop wondering about other topics. You’re almost willing to actually go do your laundry than sit there and study any longer. Why is that, you ask?
In a study by Alejandro Lleras, a professor at the University of Illinois, it was discovered that your brain really isn’t built for constant stimulation.
Studying for an hour or more is considered a constant stimulation, which gradually causes your brain to stop registering your sight, sound, and even feelings. Eventually your brain will just categorize everything as unimportant since the stimulus is unchanging. In Lleras’ experiment, students who were productive were distracted for a short period of time during their task compared to those who just powered through. His experiment proved that your brain is built to detect changes and respond to those changes rather than focusing on a topic for a stretched out period of time.
Video
Tim Urban has a very unique way of explaining procrastination. On this TedTalk Urban describes, in a very fun way, the struggles of the rational decision-maker inside all of us. He considers himself “a lifelong procrastinator who thinks about this topic all the time.” But he doesn’t lecture from the perspective of a psychologist. He talks from the point of view of an everyday procrastinator. Play the video, www.bit.ly/C20_BeatProcrastination, and once you are done, read Tim’s advice on How to Beat Procrastination, https://bit.ly/waitbutwhyprocrastination
THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE
Francesco Cirillo put Lleras’ theory into action in the late 1980s. The Pomodoro technique consists of 5 steps to managing your time.
Step 1: Identity the tasks you want completed. Once you have a realistic list of tasks to accomplish for the day, break the tasks up into 25-minute long tasks, or a pomodoro. If your tasks are to write a 4-page paper for English and read a chapter for Biology, you know that it’ll take you about an hour to actively read your chapter. Therefore, break that task into 2-3 pomodoros (25 minute sessions). Break your paper into bite-sized pieces such as focusing on creating an outline and writing just a couple paragraphs per topic, per pomodoro. Just remember to keep your list of pomodoros realistic and write them down.
Step 2: Set a timer for 25 minutes, or 1 Pomodoro. These 25 minutes are meant for you to buckle down and work, work, work. Why only 25 minutes? It’s because 25 minutes is a non- threatening time frame, unlike the time frame of an hour or more to just do homework. Use an egg timer or even a phone app, anything to keep track of the time so that you don’t have to. If you are staring at a clock to keep track of time, you’ll be too distracted to really get anything done.
Step 3: Put a checkmark next to your accomplished task when the timer goes off. Once the timer goes off, you have finished a task so check it off your list with pride! Checking off the task on a list is important because it will give you a sense of accomplishment, which will boost your self-esteem.
Step 4: Set a timer for 5 minutes. These 5 minutes are meant for you to take a break. Facebook and playing a game on your phone do NOT count as a break activity. During break time, you want to get up and move. Moving will circulate your blood and rejuvenate your body so that you are mentally and physically ready to return to your pomodoros.
Step 5: Repeat. Repeat these steps until you have accomplished all of your tasks for the day. If you exceed 4 pomodoros, give yourself a longer break, 15-20 minutes.
NOTE: You can exchange the 25 minutes of studying for 30 minutes if you are up for it. When studying for 30 minutes, give yourself 10-minute breaks after each pomodoro.
Video
This video breaks down the steps for using The Pomodoro Technique: https://bit.ly/studentsuccesspomodoro
Key Takeaways
Time management is critical to student success;
Identifying your attitude towards time can be helpful in developing strategies that are most helpful for your style;
For every hour in the classroom, college students are expected to spend, on average, two hours outside of class dedicated to studying for each hour in class;
Identify strategies that are helpful to stay organized and manage your time.
N.B.: The Student Success Library item was customized for Santa Monica College (SMC) in Santa Monica, CA. You may come across SMC-specific resources, links, or activities that do not apply to you. Search for your own school’s resources or google for similar tools that can help you where you live, study and work.
This work, Time Management, is part of the Student Success Library, which is a derivative of Student Success, originally modified by Vanessa Bonilla, Dr. Tyffany Dowd, Jackeline Felix, Dyana Valentine, Olivia Vallejo and Daniella Washington from the original Student Success by Graciela Martinez, Anh Nguyen, and Liz Shaker under CC BY-SA 4.0. Student Success Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 by Dyana Valentine. Last edit date: July 2022.