How Can It Be This Late? Time Management Tips

Do you ever look at the time and think? How'd that happen, it was only 1:00 ten minutes ago and now it's 4:30?

Time management can be a challenge, what with work, school, study, family, friends, and all the other things that gobble up time... but we found some tips that might help:

• Use. A. Planner. It can be in any form, a notebook will even work. You may have an app for your phone or computer, but it may be best for some to have an actual calendar on paper--a really, really big one. If you write in absolutely everything you need to do, you can keep it right where you'll see it every day, and follow along.

• Take the syllabus from each class and put important due dates on it. You can then plan to have parts of your assignments done in smaller chunks: If an assignment is due on the 20th of the month, then put in 'work on pages 10 to 30' one day, then 'work on pages 30 to 60,' etc. so by the 20th, you've covered everything.
• Make priorities in your days: What absolutely has to get done and by what date, and what can wait till the next week?

• Make your study space comfortable, even inviting. Nobody likes to try and work where there's too much noise, or no space, or no supplies. A stash of snacks in the area will avoid you getting up to find them and getting off task. Messy snacks? Have some hand wipes close so you don't get up to wash hands and wind up watching TV or playing a game.
• And be sure there's enough light!
• Know yourself, and your 'style' of working. Do you work best with no noise, or with headphones on (be honest here). What distracts you too much? What helps you concentrate? You might look for a quiet spot no  one has discovered and make it yours.

• Use even the smallest bits of time to do something. In 10 minutes, you can empty the wastebasket, wipe down a countertop, or clean a sink. You can grab a folder and put all the stuff for tomorrow's classes in there. You can take out your clothes for tomorrow. If you really hurry you could probably even take a shower in 10 minutes. Or, of course, study for 10 minutes on something you always put off.
• You can set a time limit for how long you're going to work on something, whether that's a chore or studying: I'll give this thing 1 hour of my day and no more. Then do it!
• Set timers! You can use a kitchen timer, or of course there are alarm 'clocks' on phones, laptops, tablets, and even watches, often. If you use your phone, put it out of your easy reach, but where you'll hear it. Set the alarm to go off in a certain amount of time, then get to work and wait till you hear it go off. Use timers to wake up in the morning or remind you that you have an appointment or a class.

• And of course, no social media while you're studying. That will all wait, it really will. Talk about a time-waster!
• If you are in a time crunch, and who isn't, don't be shy to tell people you simply do not have time for anything other than study this afternoon (or whenever), and don't feel guilty about it. Learn to say 'no' when you need to. You also need time to rest, and you can say so.
• If you find yourself studying into the wee hours of the night, put a stop to that and be sure you get enough sleep. You won't be absorbing information if you're barely awake.
• Eat some brain-power foods: Nuts, apples, berries, granola, yogurt, raw vegetables--graze away to give you some solid calories (as opposed to candy or chips)
• Drink plenty of water-always have a water bottle by your side.
• Get up and stretch once in a while. Do a simple exercise or walk for five minutes now and then.
• Sometimes, you'll need to be flexible. Situations will come up when you have to switch out your schedule, and that's OK, as long as you're usually following the plan.

How to set a reminder if you have an Iphone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205890
Android: https://www.wikihow.tech/Create-Reminders-on-an-Android  There are 'outside apps' available as well.  Often the alarm lets you make a note, so you can say "one hour of studying English," or "Lunch break," in case you forget to eat!

A little planning can help you feel less stressed and more in control. Hopefully, some of these tips will be helpful.

 

 

I'll Do It Tomorrow..It's Only a Day Away.......

Fess up: You're a procrastinator. Tomorrow sounds like the perfect day to do whatever...or maybe next week...next month...

Sound familiar?

 

Maybe you're putting something off because you feel overwhelmed. Maybe it's because you know it will take a ton of your time. Or, maybe you don't think it's going to take that long.

And then....the paper is due, the bill is due, the project is due, or you're still eating too much junk food..... and you haven't done a thing about it.

Yikes!

 

If your excuse is: I don't have any spare time.....

Take a look at how you're spending your time. How many hours are spent watching TV? Texting? Gaming? On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat? Today, grab a pad and pencil and write down how much time you're doing those things. You may be surprised how much time you actually have available.

Here are some tips that might be helpful for you to stop putting things off:

 

• Doing something is better than nothing. Get started! If it's a paper you need to write, start by choosing a subject and writing down an outline. Now you have a plan.
• Set reasonable goals. Chances are you cannot do the entire project or paper in just one session.
• A large calendar is going to be a huge help: Your instructor gives the due dates of all papers and tests at the beginning of a semester. Write it all down on your calendar and refer to it daily. Look ahead: What's due next week? Then you have to make a plan to accomplish it.
• Don't blow it all out of proportion. You can do it!
• Make a decision. Whether it's about what your project will look like, or what you want to achieve--decide something. Do it today.
• Don't expect perfection, but do your best.

 

• Break the task down into smaller chunks. Set time limits, like: I will work on this until 2:30 and then take a break. I will give this one hour of my day in the morning and one hour in the evening.
• Give yourself a little reward. Think: When I reach this goal, I'll have some coffee, or I'll get up and walk around a little. 
• Stay focused: When you're working on this, you're not doing anything else. Your phone is in another room, and you do not check your phone or think you can play 'one short game' while you are working. Two minutes distracted can so easily turn into half an hour...another half hour that you didn't work on your project.
• Write down your timeline. That is, by a certain date you will have an outline finished. Two days later, you will have the first three parts written....until you have a completion date, well ahead of the actual due date if possible.

 

• Start with the hardest part. Everything else will fall into place after it.
• Ask for help if you need it. Do you need a tutor? Maybe just someone to bounce ideas off of? Seek someone out---and not someone who will be an accomplice in procrastination!
• Don't delay something thinking that it will give you an excuse for not finishing: "I would have done it, but time just got away from me." It's a pretty good bet that an employer or instructor isn't going to be impressed with that excuse. Of course, you're letting yourself down, too, by not allowing yourself to be successful.
• SAVE YOUR WORK!!!!
• Are you allowing yourself to fail? Is that your comfort zone? You can't blame someone else for a goal not met.
• Most important, when you set goals and achieve them, give yourself a little 'pat on the back,' for finishing that task. Remember how reluctant you were to start, and the fact that you're on your way to achieving what you wanted. Good for you!
• Keep up the good work!!!