Time Management

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY TIME MANAGEMENT?

Everybody has different aspects of life to balance, work, family, personal life and studies. In order to benefit from your studies you will need to feel that you have some measure of control over your study time. Gaining control of your time requires some thought and planning.

Effective time management also enables you to work your way, systematically, through your studies – breaking large tasks into smaller, more quickly achievable sub-tasks.

This in turn can lead to a greater sense of achievement as you progress, you can tick things off your ‘to-do’ list. This enhanced sense of achievement will help boost your confidence and enable you to develop your study skills further.

Ineffective time management means you get less done.

This, in turn, can lead to stress and anxiety, which are common problems when trying to juggle the demands of a busy life. By developing your time management skills you can alleviate many of the triggers for negative stress and work towards finding a positive and healthy work/life balance.

TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

ALPEN-Method-PowerPoint-Templates-Designs-001_edited.jpg

A: Define Your

Activities

L: Estimate The

Length of Time

P: Plan Buffer Time

E: Establish

Prioritised Decisions

N: Note Your

Level of Success

This involves creating a list of all your to-dos.

Get a rough idea of the time it takes to complete each activity on your list. The total planned time gives you an idea of whether you can manage your planned daily workload.

You should plan only 60% of your work time and reserve 40% for unexpected events and social activities.

Decide which task you'll work on first and which ones you'll do later in the day. Prioritisation techniques and time management methods such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the ABC analysis can be useful here.

In the evening, check how successful your planning was and whether you've achieved your goals.

The Rapid Planning Method isn't just a way to manage your time; it's a way to manage your thinking. It stops you from asking 'What do I have to do?' and starts you asking 'What do I want to achieve, and why?'

Start by writing a list of everything you would put on a to-do list, then reframe each task with the following three questions:

What do I want to achieve?

Why am I doing this?

What steps do I need to take to do this?

This method helps to avoid procrastination and feeling overwhelmed by shifting your focus to the reason why the tasks need to be done.

Result: What is the specific outcome you want to achieve?

Instead of: "Study maths"

Try: "Complete all questions correctly so I am ready for the mocks"

Purpose: Why do you want to achieve this?

Why: "I want to feel confident in my exam"

Massive Action Plan: What are the steps to get there?

Steps: 1. Review theory in textbook

2. Answer all questions

3. Check answers

4. Retry any I got wrong until I understand

Learn to distinguish between important tasks and urgent tasks to manage your time better.

‘Urgent’ tasks demand your immediate attention, but whether you actually give them that attention may or

may not matter.

'Important' tasks matter, and not doing them may have serious consequences for you or others.

Of the urgent and non-urgent tasks, which ones are

more important?

It is a good idea to list your urgent and non-urgent tasks in order of importance, rather than giving them an absolute ‘important/not important’ distinction.

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a planning method that takes a large, complex goal and breaks it down into smaller, manageable categories, then into achievable steps.

In relation to assignment planning, an example would be:

Main Task = Write Essay

Category = Research

Step = Make five points about the topic

Step = Find a source for each point

Category = Draft

Step = Turn each point into a paragraph

Step = Add references to bibliography

Mark as 'Busy'

Block out specific times for deep study, assignment writing, and meals as 'Busy' to prevent distractions.

Stop your free periods and study gaps from being eaten up by aimless scrolling or last-minute requests.

Remember! Your calendar is not a free-for-all! If you need to block out some time to focus or simply to rest, prioritise that.

Buffer Times

Schedule 10-to-15-minute buffers between socialising, study sessions, or driving lessons to give your brain a chance to rest.

Use these quick transitions to pack your bag, stretch, or walk around so you can reset before diving into your next subject.

Regular breaks help to manage stress.

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that trains your brain to focus for short, intense bursts while ensuring you take regular breaks to recharge.

The technique relies on a kitchen timer (historically shaped like a tomato, which is pomodoro in Italian) to break your study sessions down into standard intervals:

1 Pomodoro = 25 minutes of hyper-focused study + a 5-minute break.

The 5-Step Process

Choose one specific task: (e.g., "Write the introduction paragraph for my essay").
Set a timer for 25 minutes: Put your phone on silent, close unrelated browser tabs, and start working.
Work until the timer rings.
Take a 5-minute break: Step away from your desk. Stretch, grab a glass of water, or walk around. Do not check social media, as your brain needs a true rest from screens.
Repeat: Complete four Pomodoros (about 2 hours of study time).

OTHER WAYS TO KEEP ORGANISED

Keep tidy!

A cluttered space can be distracting, especially if you are trying to concentrate on work. Tidying up can improve both self-esteem and motivation. You will also find it easier to stay on top of things if your workspace is tidy, and you keep your systems up to date.

Keep track of your schedule.

By using a diary or digital calendar you can keep your deadlines and appointments organised. You can also use this to preplan a block of time allocated to studying. It is useful if you let friends and family know that you do not wish to be disturbed during this time. You know what time of day works best for your concentration, plan around it!

Don’t try to multi-task.

Generally, people aren’t very good at multi-tasking because it takes our brains time to refocus. It’s much better to finish off one job before moving onto another. If you do have to do lots of different tasks, try to group them together and do similar tasks consecutively.

MAKE A TO DO LIST THAT PRIORITISES YOUR TASKS

If you keep a digital To Do list on Google Docs, you can design a drop-down menu that can show the status of each task. This can be particularly helpful with organising each task into categories such as “urgent”, “important” and “non-urgent”.

STAY CALM

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to stay calm. Feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks can be very stressful. Remember that the world will probably not end if you fail to achieve your last task of the day, or leave it until tomorrow, especially if you have prioritised sensibly.

Going home or getting an early night, so that you are fit for tomorrow, may be a much better option than meeting a self-imposed or external deadline that may not even matter that much.

Take a moment to pause and get your life and priorities into perspective, and you may find that the view changes quite substantially!

Remember that you and your health are important! Just because you have lots to do doesn’t mean that doing some exercise, going for a 10-minute walk or making time to eat properly is not important. You should not ignore your physical or mental health in favour of more 'urgent' activities.