Manage time?

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Unforeseen events can throw off our carefully planned schedules. People get sick. Buses break down. Study notes get misplaced just a few days before the exam. Computers choose the absolute worst times to crash! The trick is to schedule time with a little margin for erro

Can you manage time better? Well you can not! Time is time and that is a fact. Time management is a myth. You can manage yourself according to time but you cannot manage time.

No matter how organized we are, there are only 24 hours in a day. Out of these 24 hours, in order to lead a healthy life, at least minimum six hours of sleep a day is necessary, leaving only 18 hours for other activities. All we can actually manage is ourselves and what we do with the limited time available.

The phrase ‘time management’ is really just a catchword to describe how we get things done. The sum of all we ‘get done’ is our productivity. Productivity is driven by how much focus we can apply to any one task. Greater the focus, greater the productivity. The net result of increased productivity is not just getting more done, but also the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it.

Taking exams can be a time of stress and anxiety if you have not studied regularly. You will find yourself cramming for each test and studying late into the night. For many students the concept of study brings to mind the late term cramming and all-nighters.

For the next few days you frantically compile and study until you feel you have a grasp on the information, undertaking intense study sessions only to feel frustrated at your results later on. Sound familiar?

The strategy of cramming at the last minute often fails because you have to assimilate and integrate vast quantities of information in too short a period of time. Instead, you struggle to hold all the details in your memory long enough to make it to the exam room. Some information ‘spill out’ on the way.

Under the pressure of the exam, students tend to forget. Such situation will likely contribute to a sense of anxiety and dread about the exam. Any exam is passable without much difficulty, with genuine effort and a lot of patience. With a little time organization, you not only minimize stress at exams, but maximize productivity and results.

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Unforeseen events can throw off our carefully planned schedules. People get sick. Buses break down.

Study notes get misplaced just a few days before the exam.

Computers choose the absolute worst times to crash!

Strategies for dealing with the unexpected:

1. Do not panic. Try to remain calm and think rationally.

2. Make a list of priorities. Separate items that have to be completed from those that can wait.

3. Try to ‘switch’ or ‘rotate’ things around so you can address your highest priorities.

4. Do not sacrifice yourself to the schedule. Remember to eat, sleep and relax. Getting stressed out won’t help your concentration or performance.

5. If needed, talk to your instructors and teachers. Most people are reasonable during extraordinary times and will try to accommodate you. However, use this strategy sparingly or you might not be taken seriously.

Students often juggle school, work and family obligations. Managing yourself can help you accomplish more in less time. Each type of planning has its own purpose. Daily and weekly planning helps organize for the short-term. Monthly and quarterly or semester planning helps meet long-term goals.

Planning a time schedule

1. Balance activities – family, friends, social events, sports and recreation. There are many facets to life and balance is important to success.

2. Allow enough study time for each subject. The common formula is three hours of study per week, per course credit. Multiply your credit load by three to get an idea of how much time you should spend studying.

3. Study at a regular time in a regular place. Knowing what and when you are going to study saves time.

4. Commit yourself to a specific task. For example commit yourself to completing an assignment that is due before the end of next week.

5. Study as soon after your lecture as possible. Studying for one hour right after class is more effective than spending several hours days later. Review and organize your lecture notes while they are fresh in your mind.

6. Start assignments while your memory of the assignment is still accurate.

7. Utilize odd hours during the day for studying. The scattered one or two-hour free periods between classes are easily wasted. Using this time to review notes from a class just finished results in free time later in the week.

8. Limit your blocks of study time to two hours on any one course. Take a break. Then, if you still have time, study something else.

9. Trade time, don’t steal it. When unexpected events arise that use up study time, decide immediately when you can make up for it. Adjust your schedule accordingly.

10. Schedule time for review. A regular weekly period used to review coursework helps keep you up to date. This review should be cumulative, covering all the work done so far in the semester.

11. Keep organized notes on lectures and assignments. Watch for key ideas in lectures and express them in your own words. Record exactly what assignments are and when they are due.

12. Do not forget to schedule some time to relax.