Have you struggled to stay on task with studies?
Too many activities and deadlines?
Juggling many goals and targets?
You know you have to get some control over it all but you don’t know where to start.
- Before we get into time management, ask yourself some key questions?
- Why do you wish to study and what do you want to learn about?
- Which are your strongest subjects?
Knowing the answers to these basic questions can help you make a plan to move forward, using your time wisely.
Where’s it going?
Where are you spending your time? If you log your time in a journal, your schedule will give you an ideal version of your day. If you want to improve your time management habits, you will first need to know how you’re actually spending it.
You can do this in two ways:
Write a time log.
Track what you do from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Carry the diary everywhere with you. Note start and end times. This will tell you what your day looks like and where you end up wasting time.
| Activity | Start Time | Finish Time | Time Spent | Do it now? | Notes |
RescueTime – This is a free app like a diet plan that you can download on your iOS and Android phones. It lets you automatically log your time to analyse the key points in a day where you lose time. Be honest to yourself and you will soon see your problem areas.
Pomodoro Technique – We live in a world filled with distraction. It’s impossible for us to get anything done with the number of stimuli we are surrounded by. How do you fix this? The solution is FOCUS. Learning how to focus is an absolutely vital skill — something that we need to practice every single day.
Here is one simple, powerful tool to tune out distraction and build focus –
the POMODORO technique!
Watch this short video to learn a bit more
It’s really simple.
1) Choose a task to work on.
Put away all distractions — turn off the notifications on your email, put your phone in a drawer, turn off the TV, and tell your family that you need some focus time.
2) Set a timer for 25 minutes, and work until the timer goes off.
3) Take a five-minute break (again, set the timer). During break time, stretch, grab a snack, dance to a favorite song — give your mind and body a rest.
That’s one Pomodoro — 25 minutes with a five-minute “reward.” Sometimes homework will take two Pomodoros. Sometimes it will take three.
But what you will soon see is that you will get your homework done way faster when you use this technique. Try it and let me know how it goes! Drop your comments in our community My Dream College www.facebook.com/groups/mydreamcollege today!
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