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Student Success 2022: Time Management

Tips and Tricks to Your Success

Time Management

Four boxes arranged in a square. The top of the boxes are labeled "Urgent" (left) and "Not Urgent" (right). The left side of the boxes are labeled "Important" (top) and "Not Important" (bottom). In the Urgent, Important Box the text reads: Anything due today and emergencies. Those things you cannot put off for another day. The text in the Not Urgent, Important box reads: Work on anything due in the future and studying for future tests. Great for planning and scheduling. The text in the Urgent, Not important box reads: Side projects or events planned for today. Personal enrichment activities as well. The text in the Not Urgent, Not Important box reads: Doom scrolling and other time sinks. Things that distract from your to do list. This box is also broken in the bottom corner by a cartoon student drinking from a mug with an open book in their lap.

Our Tips

1. Keep work and play in balance. socializing with peers or getting some rest is just as important as getting all your schoolwork done.

2. Research done by the National Institutes of Health (link to study) suggest that studying should be done in short segments with good rest in between. 

3. Commit to organizational strategies that work for you. If keeping a planner is impossible but having dozens of alarms on your phone works to keep you on track, make as many alarms as you need. The best way to complete your goals on time is to do what works best for you.

Not sure where to start? Check out one our suggested time management systems below!

The Eisenhower Matrix

Knowing how to manage your time is key to being a successful student, but organizing a to-do list is far easier said than done. One way to manage your priorities is by using the Eisenhower Matrix - a way of organizing your to-do list into four simple categories: Urgent, Not Urgent, Important, and Not Important.

We've provided an example here, with some general ideas of what tasks should go where. Our suggested priorities are not set in stone, so make your own judgement and organize your tasks in a way that works for you. The only way a to-do list in any form is effective is if you make it your own. 

Image of cartoon student sitting and reading a newspaper. Text on the image is a quote from Charles Buxton which reads: You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.From the Web:

Managing Your Time

Check out Dartmouth College's Academic Skills Center to learn how to manage your time more effectively.

8 Ways To Take Control of Your time

Eight, short and clear steps to keep you on track!

Top Ten Study Skills

Lynchburg College offers some very helpful and practical study skills including time management, note-taking, reading and test preparation.

Rescue Time

Just one of the cool free time management tools you'll find at the Dumb Little Man Tips For Life web

Mastering Time Management for the Busy College Student

Check out Purdue Global University 8 steps for time management and additional resources.

Cartoon student sitting in chair reading a book. Text on the image is a quote from Henry David Thoreau which reads: It is not enough to be busy. The question is: what are we busy about?"

 

Additional Tools:

Neurodivergent Tips

Videos on YouTube

Avoiding Toxic Productivity Advice for ADHD (20:50)

  • Learn strategies designed with the ADHD brain in mind and learn how to motivate your interest-based mind, rather than simply "trying harder" at strategies not designed with you in mind.

You're Not Lazy: How to Live a Chaotically Organised Life (13:34)

  • Having quit things I thought I wanted to do, hated myself because I can't stick to schedules I create, thought I'm incapable of achieving much due to my chaotic and indecisive mind: here is how I now thrive (a bit more) in chaos and lack of organisation, most importantly: without habits.

How to Manage Your Time With Eric Tivers (Part One) (7:43)

  • It's been a busy first year for the show! But I still can't bring myself to stick to a schedule. Since sleep is important, Eric Tivers joins us to talk about how to manage time in a way that's...well, less scary.

LinkedIn Learning Videos

Improve your productivity, get things done, and find more time for what's most important. Get new time management tips from this ongoing series.

Get tips for improving your reading speed and memory, creating detailed notes, and preparing for tests.

Learn the techniques the most efficient people use to manage their tasks and maximize their time. Get practical time management tips to increase your professional and personal productivity.

Get tips for improving your reading speed and memory, creating detailed notes, and preparing for tests.

Get time management strategies to stay organized, keep a clear mind, and be more productive—in work and life.

Get time management strategies to stay organized, keep a clear mind, and be more productive—in work and life.

Get time management strategies to stay organized, keep a clear mind, and be more productive—in work and life.

Time Management Videos

Two cartoon students stand on either side of text. The student on the left is seated in a wheelchair and reading. The student on the right is standing and reading. The quote is from Colin Powell and reads: There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."