How to manage time effectively

Learning Skills Centre Jo G
Learning Skills Centre Jo G Holmesglen Staff • 14 July 2021
"Look at my awesome clock! #dali" by incurable_hippie is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Too much to do, too little time? Here are a few ideas to help you manage that precious - and finite - commodity.  Ironically, time spent doing this now will save you time later on.

1. Set some goals.

These will help overcome procrastination. As much as you don’t want to tackle that assignment, you DO want the qualification. Take the time to think about your future & keep the end goal in mind!

2. Make a timetable

Schedule items to complete during different days of the week. Mark in important dates. Review your schedule weekly. Share your timetable with family & friends. Set up a study grou to keep you on task.

3. Prioritize

Use the 80-20 Rule which claims 80% of the reward comes from 20% of the effort. The trick to prioritising is identifying that valuable 20%. Once identified, focus on those items with the greatest reward.

Perhaps you can prioritise according to:

  • due dates of assignments
  • the value of assignments e.g some may be worth 50% of total marks
  • questions worth more points than others. 
  • this is where your effort should go.

4. Make a To-Do List

Best completed at the beginning of the day. Write your tasks down then break them down into smaller, more do-able portions – sometimes known as the Swiss cheese method. Read about it here:

https://cmd.wichita.edu/hackett-in-management-swiss-cheese-approach/#:~….

SOME USEFUL TIME MANAGEMENT SITES:

Holmesglen Library website has useful templates & tips to help you manage your time. Click here:

https://holmesglen.libguides.com/studyskills/timemanagement

Holmesglen Email

-Online. Perhaps the 'best' online calendar for students

-Can setup/receive appointments inside your email account. You can also go into your calendar and add events like assignment due dates etc.

Calendar Labs https://www.calendarlabs.com/printable-calendar.php

-Printable. Can customise 'study periods' (e.g. for a term or semester)

Google Calendar calendar.google.com/calendar

-Online. Syncs with all devices (e.g. tablets, laptops) and is viewable/editable on all these devices where a user is logged-in

Do you have any savvy time management tips you can share?

If so, write them in the comments section.

Need more help?

Contact Learning Skills Centre:  learningskillscentre@holmesglen.edu.au