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Time Management

Our top tips for getting organised, beating procrastination and effectively managing your time at university.

Identifying your priorities

Just as with other important skills, time management and planning are skills that you can learn. Improving these skills will increase your efficiency in getting your academic work done, your progress towards long term personal skills, and your ability to feel calm whilst juggling many tasks.

Set your intentions

To feel as though your life is heading for success, you need to set an intention to take control, and decide what your key priorities are.

Take control

If you believe you are in control of your world then you believe that you make things happen. Change your viewpoint from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I will do it’, and you will be on your way to success.

Get your priorities right

If you are juggling many things - a job, your family, social life, etc., then try to avoid unimportant distractions, and make sure you don’t forget your own health and wellbeing.

Prioritise and schedule your tasks

The first thing to do is to figure out which of your tasks are real priorities, and which tasks you need to limit or manage. After that you can decide how to schedule the tasks to ensure you complete your priorities.

Prioritise important tasks

List all the tasks that take up your time: including lectures or meetings, personal tasks, social events, ongoing projects, and long term dreams. Then assess each task in terms of urgency and importance  See the following table for examples and further advice:

How to prioritise tasks according to importance and urgency:
  Urgent Not Urgent
Important

Do

Work deadlines and pending deadlines should be slotted into your timetable first.

  • Send slides for group presentation.
  • Read 3 papers before next seminar.

Focus

Aim to maximise time on 'focus' tasks so you can prioritise personal goals and manage stress.

  • Update LinkedIn profile for job searching.
  • Explore possible research topics.
Not Important

Limit

Try to minimise the impact of these tasks, which are often imposed on you by others.

  • Responding to non-essential emails.
  • Helping flatmates with their essays.

Manage

Find a way to build time into your week to switch off or indulge in distractions, but set limits.

  • Catching up on Netflix shows
  • Social events with friends

 

Schedule your tasks with tools

Once you have prioritised which tasks should take your attention, you can schedule your tasks with useful tools

  • Chunk up your time into small blocks and with rewards.

  • Set timers whilst working to keep focused and use apps to block interruptions.

  • Create 'to do' lists and update them regularly.

  • Use a diary or electronic calendar, schedule or wall chart so you can see what's coming up.

  • Assignment planning apps can help you to plan out your work with mini-deadlines -
    try out the Assignment Calculator from Leeds Beckett University.

Activity: Getting Organised

When you have many things to fit in to a packed schedule, it can be useful to get clear about which things are more important to prioritise - even if they aren't urgent. 

Use the following activity test whether you can figure out which things are important and whether they are urgent (click to open it in a new window): 

Screenshot of activity

After trying the activity, make use of the downloadable resource below to add your own tasks and work out how to prioritise them and plan your own schedule.