By Nisa Karim
Most university students have poor time management skills for their studies, assignment and social life. As we know, the percentage of coursework and final examination for most of the subjects in Semester 1 2016/2017 has been changed to 60% portion for coursework and 40% portion for final examination. So, it means that there will be more coursework than only pen and paper type of assessment. And this mean that there will be no mid-term exam for this semester.
Students might feel stressed with so much work for course load, extracurricular activities and other social activities to attend to. As a result, students often tend to put off homework assignments. Many students procrastinate to the point where they are too stressed to complete their delayed assignments.
Therefore, you need to manage time effectively if you’re going to succeed. Take a look at these five quick tips to help improve your time management so that you can do your best for this semester.
1. Establish priorities
By creating priorities you will know what to do first and what to do later. Set your goals and determine what’s most important to you. What’s your first priority? What can be dropped? Write an ordered list of what you need to get done and make a note on how much time needed to complete each priority. Prioritise the items on your list. These steps are important because most of the students tend to leave the important task until the last minute which can affect their quality of work and grade.
2. Avoid procrastination and distraction
Procrastination often emerges as a means of distancing oneself from stressful activities. So, here’s a thing, look back at your goals that you want to achieve and that will make you more conscious. The only one major distraction for students nowadays, of course, is smartphones. Here is one tips to get rid of phone distraction, silent your phone and put it far away from you or ask your roommate to keep it for awhile until you finished your study or complete your assignments. Just do it! You may find that the task doesn’t take as long as you expected and you’ll feel much better for getting it out of the way.
3. Learn to say “no”
We always want to be the best for all people especially our friends. But sometimes, you have to say “no” if people ask you to go out to accompany them for shopping or someone asking for help with something at inconvenient time for you or at time where you should study. Suggest a different time to help when it’s more convenient for you. By saying ‘no’ now to an activity does not mean that you are saying ‘no’ forever. There may be a better time in the future for you to try things that you are still interested in.
4. Stay healthy
Eat a good breakfast. Most of us skip breakfast because we are late to class or always need to hurry. A good breakfast is important, it gives your body carbohydrates and sugar to keep you energised and to be productive throughout the day. Make sure also that you get enough sleep. Most people need 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night. By getting enough sleep at night, it can save your time, which not only helps you avoid the time taken for afternoon nap, but it can also increase your alertness and decrease your stress level.
5. Remember! There’s a time for everything
Studying and doing your task for a long period of time is good, but take a break. Don’t overburden yourself. Students often put too much pressure on themselves and never have fun. Yes, you need to complete your assignments but that does not mean you cannot have fun and be happy. Take your time and schedule periodic breaks to relax and collect yourself. Be sure to exercise regularly and have fun with your friends.
When planning daily activities, do what’s best for you. Students who develop effective time management skills are typically successful and happy.
I hope these tips will benefit you and give some ideas for you to improve your time management skills.***