Every semester, I find myself trying to create and use time management techniques that don’t work out for me after the first month. As the first semester of my senior year comes to a close, here are the techniques I’ve found that actually work for me and that I wish I had found way sooner.
- FINDING THE RIGHT ORGANIZATIONAL METHOD
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Last semester, I started using Notion and, wow, it’s changed my life. I like having a digital space I can enjoy that has all of my class information, assignments, a calendar, and all other sorts of notes in one place.
- CREATING A WEEKLY SCHEDULE AND STICKING TO IT
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For the first time in my college career, I created a weekly schedule to stay on top of my class readings. For instance, on Sunday I do my readings for my history class and write the discussion posts for it. Having a schedule has helped me in getting my assignments done well before the due date while fitting in time for working on things like papers.
- USING THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE
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The Pomodoro technique is a method of time management using intervals. Usually, you work for 25 minutes, then have a 5-minute break. After 4 intervals, you get a long break – around 15 minutes. You can adjust these times based on how you work best. There are a ton of apps for this or you can just use the timer on your phone. I didn’t think much of this when I first heard about it, but I have been using this technique for years. Having a designated time for breaks and work keeps me from scrolling through my phone or feeling burnt out.
- MAKE A TO-DO LIST AT THE END OF THE DAY
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Throughout the day, I think of a dozen things that need to get done that I usually don’t have time to get to. Writing these things down at the end of the day helps ease my anxiety going into the next day.
- Not treating rest as a reward
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Knowing when to take a break is a valuable skill. Instead of treating downtime as a reward, I have started to see it as an essential part of being productive and preventing burnout.
