7 Practical Time-Management Tips for Working Students
Without proper time-management, life can become a seemingly never ending list of tasks and to-dos that need to get finished sooner rather than later. It can feel challenging to assess the priorities in life when work, school, home, and rest seem to clash more than blend together. A schedule that fits your lifestyle might be different than someone else’s, but it is possible to implement practical time-management techniques as a working student.
Below is a breakdown of seven different tips to consider when creating a rhythm that will fit your personality, career, and home life needs.
1. The Big Rocks Concept
When considering your schedule and what’s important to you, start with the “big rocks.” What are the most important parts of your life? Family? Health? Education? When you establish these priorities, schedule them into your day. Then find the “little rocks.” These activities could be chores, traveling, etc. Then decide what is the sand, or the least necessary things in your life, such as social media. By starting with the things you value most and building upon that foundation, you’ll have enough room for what you need to accomplish that day, week, and month!
2. Timers are your friend
A countdown clock is one way to motivate yourself to accomplish a task in an allotted time. It can also help you start a task, even if you don’t finish it. What matters is that you began and can check off a portion of the to-do list item.
3. Know yourself and work for you
Each person has different ways of learning, seeing the world, and accomplishing tasks, so it’s important to find what will help you be most effective. Knowing whether you are a morning person or a night owl can aid you in when you complete certain things based on your level of alertness. It’s also good to know what you enjoy doing. Find ways to reward yourself once you’ve checked something off the list. Maybe it’s going for a walk, or calling a friend, or even enjoying a piece of chocolate.
4. Rest and unplug
Our bodies need time to decompress. Caffeine might encourage us that constantly being on the go is okay, but our bodies can only maintain that rhythm for so long before burnout happens. Getting enough sleep, going on walks, or doing something creative and fun is vital to having the stamina to perform at your best and will actually strengthen your productivity.
5. Find an accountability partner
Asking for help is okay! There is an opportunity to encourage one another and push someone towards a goal when community is involved. If you’re more introverted and work better alone, have someone check in on you from time to time whether through a text or in person to see how you’re doing with getting tasks done. If you’re an extrovert and work better with people around, go to a coffee shop, invite someone over while you get chores done around the house, etc. You don’t have to do it alone. Inviting someone else into the process may provide a different perspective or assistance in a number of ways.
6. Create a schedule
Routines are important because they give a sense of structure and normalcy to everyday life. And when consistency is involved, there is a higher chance of managing time well and accomplishing tasks. Formulating a schedule can happen in a variety of ways such as writing details down on a paper or digital calendar or creating a white board with events. Having visible lists and structured routines will help you avoid procrastinating or forgetting about an important task.
7. Shift your mindset
It is a privilege to manage your time well to care for yourself, the tasks at hand, and those around you. You get to do x, y, z. Although some things are part of life and have to be accomplished, changing your perspective will provide the opportunity to view things from a different lens and may even bring about motivation to get a more mundane or exhausting task done quicker.
When assessing how to balance pursuing an education, working a job, and enjoying personal activities, it’s beneficial to look at it from a bird’s eye view. Don’t feel overwhelmed thinking everything has to change at once in order to avoid burnout. This mentality can bring about discouragement from a lack of accomplishments. Rather, start small: choose one item from the list of seven tips above to practice and implement. It is much easier to notice success with incremental steps one day at a time. Before you realize it, you will have developed healthy habits over the course of months and years that ensure you put your best foot forward.
Blackstone Career Institute is here to encourage you on your education journey by providing courses that are flexible, just for you! BCI wants to work with your life schedule and the priorities that are important to you. To learn more about courses and how Blackstone can help you in your journey, talk to an admission’s counselor today.
