Ways to effectively make use of your day without the stress of impending assignments and how to tackle time management
As we come down to the final weeks of the semester, managing all your projects, assignments, and exams can seem stressful and overwhelming. Even if you’ve been through semester after semester, getting your act together can seem incredibly draining and nothing ever seems to work. So, I did the research for you. Here is a compilation of strategies most universities and psychologists recommend – along with some tips of my own – on how to manage your time academically while also having set aside you-time left in your day.
The Pomodoro Technique
First invented by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, the Pomodoro Technique is a very common method of time management for any task, not just academic-orientated projects. It utilizes increments of small chunks of time in order to finish a task without becoming bored or losing interest. Notably a good strategy for larger projects, the Pomodoro Technique is actually more simple than it seems:
1. set a timer on a separate device for 25 minutes (25 is the recommended time frame, but you can adjust depending on what works for you)
2. work on a specific task until the timer is up
3. set a 5 minute timer to use as a break – get a snack, stretch, run around your room -whatever
4. repeat for 3-4 more times until you either finish or reach your personal limit
5. set another timer for a longer period of time – 30-45 minutes
6. go back to your task and repeat the entire process until your project is finished
You may even find yourself doing the Pomodoro Technique already without even realizing it. Albeit a boring-sounding method of doing things, the Pomodoro Technique actually provides results whether you realize it or not. The University of Pennsylvania LPS puts it simply as “improving your single-tasking skills [and] becoming better at tracking your productivity.”
Creating a Calendar and the Eisenhower Matrix
Another maybe more simple method of keeping track of due dates and when assignments need to be turned in is a calendar. I know it sounds really simple and mundane, but making either a digital or physical calendar is actually really useful and my most recommended strategy. At the beginning of each week, preferably on a Sunday before your classes start, make a list or update your calendar with the assignments that need to get done by Friday, repeating this process as often as need be. Personally, I just make a Google Sheets document for each month, putting any pre-assigned pieces from my classes’ syllabi in order of due date.
Along with creating a calendar also comes priority. It may seem overwhelming to do what I do and put all your assignments in one basket – it may look a little daunting. Another way to go about making a calendar if that seems appealing to you, is utilizing the Eisenhower Matrix Method. Before president Eisenhower served as President, he was a commander in the Army during WWII, where he invented his matrix. Essentially, you categorize activities or assignments into 4 separate compartments: urgent vs. non-urgent and important vs. non-important, making a four-way chart. If a task has a later due date that won’t take you that long, put it into the important, non-urgent category. If something is literally due tomorrow and is work 20% of your final grade, put it in the urgent, important category and so on. Now that you’ve categorized your tasks, you can put them into a much smaller calendar and add assignments as they come closer to the due date and transfer into the urgent category.
Surround Yourself Correctly
One final strategy that I see not mentioned a lot when it comes to time management and getting things done is surrounding yourself with the correct environment. Some people don’t like to work well in one singular spot, others like to sit at their desk and just work until they either fall asleep or physically can’t sit there any longer. Find a location where you can lock in effectively without much distraction. That could be a private study room in the library, or if you’re like me, working where there’s a lot of people makes you feel more motivated.
If you said to yourself just now, “I don’t have time to sit down for that long, though,” you may need to consider who you surround yourself with during finals week(s). If you spend your time with other people that want to procrastinate and not get anything done, then in response, you are also going to agree with them, not thinking your own tasks need to be dealt with. Communication is key and if you need to tell friends you have more important priorities during a specific time, then do that. Being an academic weapon can only happen if you surround yourself with people that won’t get in the way of that.
Closing and Works Cited
Regardless if you are currently swamped with assignments, or if you are smoothly sailing along, time management is a useful and effective skill to have in any situation. Knowing how to go about your day feeling the most self-fulfilled and productive is important for your own mental health and satisfaction. It’s never too late to start now, even if it’s with baby steps.
Lparsons. “8 Time Management Tips for Students.” Harvard Summer School, 21 Nov. 2024,
8 Time Management Tips for Students – Harvard Summer School. 11 Nov 2025.
“Mastering Your Schedule: Effective Time Management Strategies for Success.”
Mastering Your Schedule: Effective Time Management Strategies for Success | Penn LPS Online,
9 May 2024, Mastering your schedule: effective time management strategies for success | Penn LPS Online. 11 Nov 2025.
Mozafaripour, Sara. “9 Popular Time Management Techniques and Tools: USAHS.”
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, 12 Sept. 2025,
9 Popular Time Management Techniques and Tools | USAHS. 11 Nov 2025.