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Time management is about planning and organizing your time to be more productive and efficient, making the most of every day.
Why it matters
Everyone benefits from time management. For students, strong organizational skills are essential for academic success. Keeping track of your time, tasks, and deadlines reduces stress and leads to better grades.
Check out the tools and tips in this guide for ideas on how to effectively organize and manage your time.
Too much to do and not enough time? The below video is your solution! Improve your planning and goal setting abilities, maximize your time and overcome procrastination. Gain tools to set up a weekly schedule, establish priorities and balance school, work and home life.
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Time management can be broken down into three main steps:
1. Plan
2. Act
3. Evaluate
Planning involves developing your goals, identifying tasks, prioritizing and scheduling.
Acting means doing what you planned, overcoming procrastination and recording your progress.
Evaluating means reflecting on your system - did it work or not?
Before planning, set clear goals. Goals define what is important and what you aim to achieve, helping improve motivation and accountability.
Goals can be divided into 2 categories:
Long-term goals - these are usually longer than 1 year and give us a stable sense of direction
Short-term goals - these are more immediate guidelines and direct our plans on a daily or monthly basis
Start by developing your long-term goals, then break them into short-term goals. Further breaking down these short-term goals into smaller steps to create your "To-Do" list!
When setting goals, it can be helpful to follow some guidelines that will make your goal easier to define and achieve. One set of guidelines for goal-setting is the SMART model. Try setting a few long-term and short-term goals using these elements.
Resources
After setting goals and defining tasks, prioritize. This crucial step in time management ensures wise and productive use of your time.
Prioritization can be tricky, as our attention naturally goes to time-sensitive tasks over important ones. To improve, ask: "How urgent is this?" and "How important is this?"
This "urgent-important" approach to prioritization is outlined in a tool known as the Eisen
hower Matrix.
The Eisenhower Matrix helps you prioritize by dividing tasks into 4 categories:
Urgent and Important: These have immediate deadlines and significant consequences. Do these first (e.g. submitting a major assignment).
Important but Not Urgent: These have clear consequences but flexible deadlines. Schedule these (e.g. reviewing notes, self-care).
Urgent but Not Important: These are time-sensitive but don't directly align with your goals. Delegate or decline these when time is limited (e.g. house chores, helping a friend).
Not Urgent and Not Important: These are distractions that hinder your goals. Eliminate or postpone these (e.g. social media, video games).
Consider using colors or symbols for each category to keep your tasks organized.
Resources
To effectively manage your time, consider using schedules and calendars to visualize and track your commitments. These tools not only help you stay prepared but also boost your motivation to complete tasks.
2 main formats are:
| Planning tool | How to create it | Benefits and uses |
| Semester/long-term calendar |
Add all major deadlines (assignments, exams) & key personal dates. |
Improves awareness, reduces procrastination, enhances planning. Provides a big-picture overview of your entire academic term. |
| Weekly/daily schedule |
Prioritize fixed commitments or deadlines and then other tasks. Remember to balance your tasks and set realistic expectations. |
Balances tasks, boosts accountability, lowers stress. Offers a detailed, small-picture view of your immediate tasks. |
Many students find that using both types together is the most effective way to stay organized and on track.
The best tool is the one you will use!
When selecting a planning and scheduling tool, consider whether a digital or physical format best suits your needs.
Physical planners are often favored for their comprehensive "at-a-glance" view and ease of display for quick reference.
Digital planners provide widespread accessibility and convenient features like reminders and recurring task settings. Popular digital calendar tools include: Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook Calendar.
The most effective strategy is to choose a tool and actively try it out. Make sure to adjust or switch to a different method if needed; flexibility is key to finding your ideal planning system.
Resources
Creating a plan is only the first step, acting on it is the next step. Develop strategies to overcome procrastination. Procrastinating can cause you to miss important deadlines, or do things at the last minute. It can also lead to missed deadlines and last-minute work, significantly impacting grades and well-being.
The good news is that lots of great strategies exist to help fight procrastination and get your tasks done. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Make a to-do list: Define tasks and deadlines.
Break down tasks: Break down large tasks into smaller, less overwhelming parts.
Stay focused: Remove distractions, use a timer for just 5 or 10 minutes to help you get started.
Consider consequences: Reflect on the negative outcomes of delaying each tasks and decide if they're worth it.
Reward yourself: Celebrate completing tasks on time to maintain motivation. Reward yourself with something positive and fun.
Resources
After following your plan, evaluate your progress. How did the plan go? Did you stick with it? Were there any trouble points which set you off track?
Identify reasons for any issues, such as underestimating time, procrastination, poor prioritization, over-scheduling, unrealistic goals, or bad timing. Once identified, adjust for next time (e.g., allow more time, prioritize better).
Effective time management boosts productivity, reduces overwhelm, and aids goal achievement. It takes practice; start small, evaluate, adjust, and keep at it!
Remember, there's always help if you need it. Use the tips and strategies covered in this module, get some advice from a friend or classmate, or meet with a SAIT Learning Strategist for support.
