Effective Time Management for University Students

TIME... the only thing us 'humans' can never get back. As for the quote above, how relevant is a quote from the 18th Century to us 21st Century students? How many times have you told yourself "Yeah its only 1000 words, I'll do it tomorrow", yes well thanks Benny Franklin, thank-you for telling us we can do it today and do whatever we want tomorrow! I'm going to be telling you how you can turn 'tomorrow' into 'TODAY' whilst still being able to go to work and earn some cash, as well as swiping left and right while being the last man (or woman) standing in Fortnight (or whatever game you're into).. ALL AT THE SAME TIME! This is of course called 'Effective Time Management' if you were wondering, not 'multi-tasking on Tinder and Video Games at the same time whilst at work'.

Have you ever thought to yourself "Why am I always rushing my assignment at 3 am in the morning?", especially when you could have done it yesterday on your day off, but instead, it was sunny outside so you decided to put tanning lotion on and tan in 15 degree weather or have a picnic... well that's your problem! WHY ARE YOU TANNING IN 15 DEGREES INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP WITH YOUR FUTURE?? That's the thing with 'Days Off', you have to earn them and not decide you deserve to do nothing today just because you worked a 4.5 hour shift yesterday. I was the exact same throughout my first 2-3 years at University, always leaving assignments till last minute, always putting important things off and going on date's instead and spending money and losing time, instead of using time effectively which would then lead into making money. This all changed when I got put onto morning shift at work which was 5:30 am - 1 pm, as apposed to my previous afternoon shift of 1 pm - 9:30 am. I would get home from work and tell myself "you know what? It's only 1 o'clock and I still have the rest of the day to be productive so I'm going to sit my a$$ down and do these damn University Assessment Tasks". This was of course after I used to get home at 1 pm from work and 'catch up' on sleep from the night before... but this was not effective and I wanted to be effective and proactive. So I replaced sleep with exercise, reading and studying and that's the whole point of the phrase "never leave 'till tomorrow which you can do today" (Benjamin Franklin).

I actually didn't notice any changes until one of my Tutor's came up to me and said "Your History writing has improved significantly compared to last year", I responded by saying "Oh yeah I think it's because instead of talking to 100 chicks at a time, I'm only talking to 20". We laughed and joked for a bit, and then I actually realised that my marks in History and Literature had gone up by 10-20 from the previous year, and this was due to newly found habits as well as reading up on 'Time Management' as well as just reading on books that better yourself such as health, investment and all things good for your future, and not to mention my University readings that I finally had time for. Yes it does actually pay off to read your set readings for the week... It took me 3 Years to figure this out, please DO NOT make the same mistake. I'm now going to share with you some techniques for time management that helped me get through tough times and made me a better person as well as University student.

Amazing Time Management Techniques:

1. Set goals:

This should come as no surprise to being on this list. Wether the goal is to just do your introduction, to do 500 words, finish the essay by the weekend or even to get a High Distinction, always set your goal and write it somewhere so you can see it and remind yourself what it is you're trying to achieve.

2. Plan your days of the week

By this, I mean planning what day you will be doing what. For me it was; History on Monday's, Literature on Wednesday's, etc. Something simple like that so that you can devote a day of the week to a certain Unit so you don't have to multi-task.

3. Allocate minutes (or hours) on specific tasks

This is important because it can also be an indicator of how many academic words you are capable of in a certain time period. Examples of this are; 500 words in 2 hours or 'spend 3 hours finishing and polishing my essay'.

4. Am I a morning or a night time thinker?

Human beings are different, no one is the exact same. Some people are early birds and others are night owls. Figure out which one works best for you and stick to it and make it a routine. For me personally, I think better in the morning. Even on my days off work, I would still wake up at 5 or 6 am and get stuff done.

5. Learn to say "No thank-you"

This is one of the biggest factors of 'Effective Time Management'. You're allowed to say 'NO' to going shopping or going partying or going out for the whole day when it isn't necessary.

6. Rewards (A day off?)

Now this is when you can say 'YES' to your friends or partner or family. Once you have completed all your assignments, there is definitely time you can allocate to pleasure... Also, holidays go for a month yes? Why not just study hard and then party, drink, sun-bake and do whatever you like on every single day of those 4-5 weeks of holidays?

One aspect that is always important but I didn't add is EXERCISE. Always exercise, play sport and keep fit! It helps your health, helps you think and surprisingly keeps you energised! Some of my best essays have been after a 1.5 hour gym session.

Put all these things together and you get a shit load of time to yourself. Just last year (2019), I was able to go to 5 different countries, a 2-week cruise around the pacific, 7 different music festivals and a whole lot of night clubs. How? By making 'time management' an EVERY DAY thing. Not just for University Assignments, but for every day things in life whether it be exercise, video games, grocery shopping, social media, etc. Always... always manage your time no matter what it is you're doing and you will see drastic changes that will allow you to have so many 'days off' that you will be wanting more assignments or more work. It became a habit for me and these days I don't even have to think twice about writing important things down, or prioritising or managing time... it just comes naturally and it will for you as well!

I'd just like to finish this article off by saying that I'm doing this because I was in the same situation once until I decided what is important and what is not. Priorities and your future should always come first and the only person that can help manage your time effectively is none other than YOU.

Stefan Kulas,

If you'd like help getting through or financial tips whilst being at University, feel free to contact me on my email: [email protected]

or Instagram @stefannnkulas