Students today often face numerous tasks and responsibilities in their daily lives. However, some may encounter challenges in balancing these priorities, especially when it comes to academic commitments. Distractions such as technology and social media can disrupt focus and limit productivity. Fortunately, there are various strategies available to help individuals improve time management skills and achieve a better balance in their lives.

Identify the most important tasks:
A quick way to divide the amount of work you have is by identifying which tasks have a greater impact or importance out of what is assigned. Having that division in your work helps to simplify the overview of the tasks, and helps to relieve stress when you are able to accomplish their most demanding work first.

Some simple techniques to quickly identify what is the most important includes:
Color-coding where you assign colors that define most to least important tasks.
The ABC method where you letter tasks from A-C based on importance.
A Priority List to assign each task with a priority level, placing the highest at the top, and working towards the bottom of the list.
Impact and Outcome to evaluate and prioritize the tasks that will have the most significant impact on your future goals.

Set realistic and sufficient time goals:
After the work has been divided, set a schedule that would allow time to accomplish the tasks efficiently, while also leaving sufficient time to rest and relax. Aim to dedicate at most one hour to crucial assignments, leaving the less-time consuming work to around 30 minutes. Take into consideration that extending work time above either an hour or 30 minutes on an assigned task can occupy later allocated time for rest or review, creating the possibility of burning-out.

Additionally, utilizing a planner, whether digital or paper-based, is highly advantageous for organizing your schedule efficiently. Allocating time for both productive tasks and essential downtime ensures a balanced and productive lifestyle. Incorporating these practices fosters improved time management and overall well-being.

Remove any distractions:
One of the more distracting things in a students’ everyday life is technology. Even though someone can be well-motivated to accomplish their tasks, a simple message or social media notification can set them off their train of thought. When you are preparing to study, it is crucial to remove or silence the devices around you, and find a quiet place to concentrate.

It is key to ignore the urge to engage with technology and remain motivated to accomplish work as efficiently as possible. Setting a screen time limit or the do not disturb option can reduce the amount of time spent on your devices, allowing a higher potential to focus while being overall healthier mentally, too.

Adopt different study methods:
While working on school assignments, especially ones from more academically demanding subjects, it can be stressful to cover and recall large amounts of material. Starting a task without a clear method of organization can lead to unnecessary amounts of time spent on it. Study methods can be both a beneficial and less stressful way to accomplish large quantities of work in a shorter time span.

Active note taking techniques, such as the Cornell or Blurting method, offer ways to simplify and capture the most important information. In addition, these methods utilize an active recall component, capturing key terms and ideas through summaries and outlines. For those who prefer working in short bursts of time, an option such as the Pomodoro Technique proposes focused work up to 25 minutes, followed by a break of 15-25 minutes, and repeating this cycle.

Take care of your health:
It is always important to allocate enough time throughout the day to still take care of yourself. Taking the time to prioritize sleep, exercise, having a healthy diet, and overall health, are all essential to effective time management. Having a daily schedule organizes your tasks and reduces any potential stressors, opening the possibility of increasing your overall well-being.