Many students do not realize the importance of time management in college until it’s too late. It is not easy to strike a balance, especially if you’re an athlete student.
Poor time management can cost you grades. So to help you avoid this happening, we’ve put together the best tips to help you manage study time effectively.
Strategies of Time Management
It has been known for student-athletes short on time to buy an essay to help aid in their time management, go ahead! But, time management is still something you need to learn as a life skill.
Without time-management skills, you can’t go far, neither in your academics nor in your sports career.
If you cannot manage your time and do things that need to be done first, nobody will trust you with important tasks.
So, here is some practical student-athlete time management to help you outshine in your school/college.
Prioritize
Prioritizing things in life is crucial if you want to succeed. Being a student is tough, especially if you’re an athlete.
Managing your sports activities and assignments can be an uphill task. So, you must prioritise your tasks.
First, list down all the tasks and errands you need to complete daily and weekly. Which is the best thing on your list?
Then, divide your time according to the importance of your tasks.
For example, create a list like this:
● Practice basketball for 45 minutes.
● Work on your assignment for one hour.
● Walk or workout or meditate for 30 minutes.
● Group discussion for 30 minutes.
Listing down your priorities is an easy way to execute tasks on time.
They help you understand what is important for you and how much time you should spend on various things in your life.
If you can’t seem to figure out how to prioritise, ask yourself these questions:
● Is it worth spending time on?
● What will I achieve by giving this particular thing more time?
● Does it give me happiness?
● Does it help me get closer to my life goals?
● What will happen if I don’t spend enough time on it?
● How much time does it require from my daily routine?
Use a Schedule
A busy routine combined with lots of distractions can easily get in your way of completing assignments.
Therefore, it is crucial to set aside time to concentrate on your studies. But, how do you do that?
Here are some tips:
● Have a consistent time every day.
● Set a workplace.
● Turn off your distractions.
● Avoid using the internet.
When you set a specific time and place to work, it helps to stay focused.
It helps you take plenty of time for your readings, discussions, and assignments.
To make it happen, consider buying a calendar. Plan your assignments on it.
You can highlight the following:
● Assignments drafts and submission dates.
● Networking events.
● Study groups meetups.
● Meeting with advisors and professors, etc.
Here is an example:
Monday: Start the readings.
Tuesday: Continue with the readings and reviewing materials.
Wednesday: Discuss with the study group and start the assignment.
Thursday: Continue working on the assignment. Discuss with the study group or professor if required.
Friday: Continue the work.
Saturday: Finish Assignment.
Sunday: Proofread your work, recheck and submit.
Complete Assignments in Chronological Order
When you have a bunch of tasks to finish, you often don’t know where to start. This confusion leads to procrastination.
So, the best strategy is to start your work in chronological order. Begin with the task or assignment that was assigned to you first.
This way, it will be easier for you to prioritise your daily and weekly tasks.
In addition, you will know what to do first without even spending hours reviewing materials for all assignments.
When it comes to time management for students, this tip is one of the most useful tips to follow.
Set Step-Up Goals
Without goals, your life lacks direction. Goals help you create a roadmap to success as they provide a benchmark; they allow you to take control of your life.
But, if you want to achieve those goals, you should know how to set them. You can’t simply write “I want” and assume it to happen.
When setting goals, you need consideration of things you want to attain. After you set them, you need a lot of hard work to achieve them.
So, to help you formulate goals you can attain, here are five golden rules to set your goals:
● First, set goals that motivate you: Ensure the goals you’re setting motivate you. How? Well, ask yourself: what can I tell others to convince them that my goal is worth achieving?!
● Set SMART goals: When setting goals, ensure they are clear and relevant, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
● Set goals in writing: Make sure you frame the statement of your goal positively.
Do you want to improve your grades? Then try writing statements like “I will study every day for an hour to improve my grades” rather than “I will reduce distractions and achieve good grades.”
Remember, goal setting is not something that has an end. It is an ongoing process. You keep setting goals one after another.
Keep reminders to keep yourself on track. Also, ensure you review your goals regularly.
Your ultimate goal may remain similar for a long period. But, the action plan you set to achieve your goal can change significantly over time.
When you set long-term goals, you need to achieve short-term goals to accomplish the long-term ones.
For instance, if your goal is: to achieve high grades and get into your dream university. You need to set short-term goals such as:
● Study for two hours every day.
● Work on your weak areas, such as math (consider taking tuition for it).
Avoid Procrastination
When you’re surfing the web, it’s easy to get distracted. So, avoid all the social media platforms if you want to finish your work in time.
Besides, the Pomodoro Technique is a great method to help you stay focused and increase your efficiency.
It builds on a twenty-five-minute work session and optimises time to concentrate on your assignments.
The best way to use it is to:
- Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on your assignment uninterrupted.
- Once the timer stops, take a break, no longer than 15 minutes.
Doing so will help you avoid procrastination and finish tasks in time.
These strategies for college students are a big game-changer if success is what you want to achieve.
Being successful in your game as well as in your studies is not easy. But, with the help of these time management strategies, you’re sure to be at the top of your game.
Author of the article:
Leon Edmunds began work in 2006. Since then, he has tried his hand at SEO and team communication management.
He also writes for blogs and works as an academic writer at EduJungles, a professional essay writing service.
His main interests are content marketing, communication skills development, and blogging.
Every day he is looking for new ideas to help people achieve their career goals. His team is working as one ideal vehicle.