Time Management Strategies & Resources for Students

Time Management is about knowing where your time goes and how to use your time to accomplish your goals. This doesn't always mean using your time to be "productive" but using your time in a way that can accomplish *all* of your goals including self-care, social activities, hobbies and passions, and meaningfully living within your community. 

Time management involves a cluster of inter-related skills:

• Prioritising and re-prioritising tasks.
• Organising your time effectively.
• Planning how you will use this time effectively to complete the tasks.
• Keeping track of your progress.
• Understanding how and when you work best.
• Maintaining your focus and motivation.

You are likely to be practising some of these skills but possibly not all. When we are under a lot of pressure with our workloads we often skip the planning stage. However, this step more than any other will help you make the most of your time, track progress and keep you feeling motivated.

Adapted from LibGuide Technological University of Shannon: Midwest 

Make Your Schedule

Use calendars, planners, lists, or other visual ways to keep track of your recurring tasks and activities at the monthly and weekly level. Working backwards from these obligations on your time that you don't have much control over (class times, work shifts, child care logistics, regular appointments, etc.) means now you can focus on all of the time that you can control. You can plan for your time more efficiently when you can see exactly what lies ahead. 

Calendar tools & apps:

Everyone will likely find different modes of schedule planning helpful: some of us want to write in a calendar or agenda by hand, some of us want everything organized through digital tools, and many people are probably a mix of both. Below are some free and easy ways to start planning out your schedule:

• Use blank calendar templates that you can use to get starting noting your monthly and weekly schedule, including these: free printable microsoft templates or this customizable five day homework planner. 
• Systems you may already use for email or file sharing have calendar features, like Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar.
• At the beginning of each quarter, consider opening up the syllabus for each of your classes and marking down in advance when big projects and papers are due and when you'll have exams and presentations.
• Make sure to include not just work and school obligations but social events, holidays, religious observances, birthdays, important family events, or places where you will make time for your hobbies and interests. 

Students from the University of Manchester discuss some of their common challenges in time management and some of the strategies they use to be effective and reduce stress. 

Use Your Schedule

• Make sure you interact with your schedule by noting what items you’ve accomplished and keeping track of your progress.
• Build in routines for other weekly/monthly tasks like grocery shopping, moving your body, seeing friends, and clearing out your inbox, studying or writing papers.
• Add in schedule info from friends and family to make sure that your schedule reflects all of your priorities. 

Learn about how you use your Time

• Are you someone who focuses more easily in the morning? Someone who can get readings done on the bus or in noisy places? Consider the environment or timing that will make you most successful in staying on schedule; and that includes knowing how you'll get the best sleep! 
• A lot of schedules become ineffective because we underestimate how long a given activity will take. For example, instead of blocking off your only class that meets between 10am-11:45am, make sure you're blocking off added commute time or other places where activities may bleed outside of their designated schedule.
• One of the best ways to put your schedule to use is to start building your daily, weekly, or monthly routines. Once you see how your free time fits in with your scheduled time, you can start to build even more ownership over your schedule and observe the balance in your time spent with different priorities (don't forget to prioritize yourself!) 
• Build your routine around what makes you most effective in each stage of your activities and goals: consider scheduling yourself for 2-3 hours a week in the library to dedicate towards quiet, focused study and see if regularly scheduled classes for exercise, hobbies, or routine group friend activities can help make sure you make time for those parts of your week outside of work or class scheduling. 

Stick to you schedule

• Protect Your Time and Prioritize your tasks. Most of us enjoy giving our time to others with family or at work or with friends, but protecting your time means sometimes saying no. The most sustainable schedules are ones that lead with our priorities, values, and biggest goals rather than letting yourself get overwhelmed by smaller tasks outside of your priorities that can add up. 
• Build in designated time for fun and relaxation and reward yourself for getting things done!
  • In a busy day, start with small or easy tasks first. Just by taking out the trash or making the bed, it can create positive momentum and set a tone for getting harder tasks done later, or if you're feeling stuck during the day, jump to something easy you can cross off your list. 
  • Do one thing at a time. This isn't always true--many of us might love to listen to an audiobook for class while on a walk or in the car, but for things that require a little more focus, don't overschedule multitasking and wait until one task is done before moving on to the next. 
• Set up accountability by scheduling a tutoring appointment at the Student Learning Center, schedule an appointment with a Librarian, or book a study room ahead of time for group work.
• Use apps and tools to help you keep your focus when taking on difficult tasks.
  • Consider tools like Stay Focused
  • Use GoodTime timer app to practice the Pomodoro technique for alternating focus time and break time (usually 25 minutes focus, 5 minute breaks) 
  • Create flexible lists that allow you to keep track of, update, and complete tasks and goals that may be outside of your usual schedule and time plans. Apps like Flora and Remember the Milk can help you plan and schedule from your phone.
• This breakdown of Study and Homework tips from Oakland Community College includes a lot of great suggestions and tips for staying on track and managing your time. 

College courses can present a lot of time management challenges, especially as we balance that with all of the other parts of our busy lives like work, childcare, time with friends, hobbies, chores, volunteering, and time to rest and take care of ourselves. 

That's why we're here to help! Shoreline CC has an entire network of student services that are here to help you start or try out some new study and time management skills, help you try and implement your tools to stay on track and find a positive balance, and to help if you feel like you're falling behind. Feeling overwhelmed or stressed is such a normal, valid part of college coursework (and life!) but just because it's common doesn't mean you have to just accept it or deal with it alone!

• Shoreline Librarians are available to chat at our Reference Help desk in the Library during our open hours M-Th 8am-7pm (8am-4:30pm on Fridays) or you can make an appointment to chat one-on-one over Zoom, send us an email, or use our 24/7 chat feature.
• You can always email me directly at ccallaghan@shoreline.edu and I'd love to hear from you and see how we can find solutions together!
• Tutors at the Student Learning Center are available for online and drop-in tutoring across nearly all of Shoreline's academic subjects.
• We have great Counseling Center and Advising staff that can help talk through college and career choices or provide personal support. 

Good time management isn't about trying to keep up with what everyone and everything else is asking of you, but to give yourself as many tools as possible to find healthy balances between what you have to do, what you need to do, and what you want to do with your time.