How can good time management help you to succeed at university?
Juggling multiple study commitments at university isn't easy. All your deadlines seem to
come at once, you have a mountain of reading to climb and so many assignments you don’t
know where to start. Add in paid work, student societies, sporting activities, social life, and
going home for your mum’s birthday - and you can see why most students will have
problems with managing their time.
Unlike work or school, because you are expected to study independently for at least some of
the time, university doesn’t have fixed start and finish times. This can mean that you feel as
if you ought to be working all day and every day. However, most universities suggest that
students should spend between 30 and 35 hours a week on study, including contact teaching
time. You may end up taking more time in some weeks and less time in others, but you
should be aiming to get your study commitments completed and still have time for friends,
family, fitness and fun.
These webpages contain lots of advice on time management for university students. So
where should you start?
Need to get your time under control right now? Try The 5 Step Plan.
Want to plan your time more effectively? Go to Planning Timetables and
Schedules.
Hard to find what you want when you want it? See our advice on Getting Organised.
Not enough hours in the day? Have a look at Making More Hours in the Day.
Is it impossible to get started? See Overcoming Procrastination.
Hard to stay focused? Go to Dealing With Distractions.
Good time management isn’t just about being able to make a study timetable or work
schedule. It’s important to learn how to use time effectively. These webpages can help you
to think about:
* allocating your time to work on particular tasks at the best time of day
* being self-motivated to get your work completed
* developing your study practices so that you use your time efficiently
* getting yourself organised so that you don’t waste time looking for things
* staying informed about things like timetables, submission processes and deadlines
* overcoming procrastination to get started and keep going
However brilliant your ideas, and however hard you work, if you can’t make the time to
complete or communicate your studies properly, you won’t get the marks you deserve. So
managing your time effectively is key to success at university. The bad news is that no-one is
born with great time management skills. The good news - that means anyone can learn
them!