As a student, you have a range of assignments to complete, such as studying for exams, enrolling in different classes, reading, writing reports, and making office hours. If you can make an effort to perfect some or all of these good time management skills, you'll be one step closer to enjoying the benefits of good time management and creating best practices for studying.

Here are some of our best time management advice for students.

1. Identify and prioritize tasks

Your to-do list may appear lengthy, but has it been adequately prioritized? Begin by writing the tasks down on a piece of paper. When detailing your tasks, remember to include their time limits so that you can prioritize them. Even if the list appears long and daunting at first, you can begin to group tasks of the exact nature (e.g., reading, homework, shopping, house chores, etc.) and prioritize them in order of importance.

2. Divide Large Tasks into Smaller Tasks

As a student, you understand that you may feel burdened if your professor assigns you a 20-page research report. Instead, if your professor told you that you had to write a one-page paper, you'd probably be excited to get it done. So, why not apply that approach to all of your tasks? When dealing with large tasks, set a deadline and step back to determine how many smaller pieces you can divide it into to complete it by the deadline. This is a critical time management skill for students.

3. Make Use of a Checklist

Pilots and doctors do it. You should as well. With all of the diversions of school, work, and life, it's easy to forget things. By writing notes and checking them off, you ensure that nothing is overlooked amid the chaos. Checklists are also excellent intellectual tools for providing quick bursts of happiness when a check is placed in a box.

4. Make Reward Programs

There's no denying that celebrations are enjoyable. Whether big or small, you can reinforce your work significantly will help you establish a routine and incentive to keep going. You can select monetary, activity-based, or time-based rewards.

5. Create a Timetable

"Pencil it in," as they used to say. Sure, we've made great strides from using agenda books, but planners and agendas (digital or print) can still play a significant role in how we manage our time daily. You can be very serious about scheduling by dividing your time into 15–30-minute increments and highlighting what you'll be doing, or you can be a little more lenient by organizing your days in advance.

6. Establish Realistic Goals

Our society tells us to "shoot for the stars so that if you fall, you land on the clouds." However, setting reasonable and smaller goals sometimes makes more sense to overcome obstacles and gain momentum toward larger goals. Slow progress is preferable to no progress, and by completing the small steps, you're making collaborative moves toward your long-term goals.

7. Remove Distractions

Distractions abound, particularly those of the digital variety. If you can't stop yourself from checking your apps while working or studying, many apps can help you block access to the internet. Leave your phone in another room and designate a specific area where you will only work. And this isn't just a good idea to try when you're stressed out at work. It's also an excellent exercise to do with friends or family because it allows you to be indeed present with them.

8. Focus on One Task at a Time

Multitasking is a myth, according to psychology studies. The brain only performs one function at a time, so even if you appear to be doing two things at once, there is still a start/stop process going on. All of that going back and forth is more grueling than keeping focus and moving on to the next task once the first is completed.

9. Get Some Sleep

Did you know that getting enough sleep can help you be more productive? When students are tired, their brain functions as if they are impaired by alcohol. It's essential to figure out how many hours of sleep a night your body requires to operate effectively, but try to get at least seven hours per night if possible.

The Conclusion

It is not necessary to establish good habits for proper time management all at once to be beneficial. By implementing one or more of the suggestions on this list, you can set reasonable, small goals and select a few suggestions that you believe will be most advantageous to you or will make the others easier to implement. Try to track your advancement and reimburse yourself for making minor changes to organize your time better.