In university, managing your time is knowing your priorities and making sure that the things on your schedule align with your priorities. Planning your activities involves strategy so that you can get the most out of your time. Still not convinced? Here are the top 7 reasons why you should manage your time regularly in university.
1. Juggle priorities
You’ll have many competing priorities between classes, seminars, labs, assignments, co-op, grocery shopping, appointments, etc. Create a plan that reflects your academic and non-academic priorities so that they don’t conflict with each other. Need some help with this?
Try: Weekly to-do list worksheet (PDF)
2. Avoid falling behind
It's easy to fall behind in your coursework. You might find that one course is monopolizing your time, or maybe part-time work is leaving you less time to complete assignments. Creating a plan to manage your time strategically can help you avoid falling behind on your course work.
Try: Weekly schedule worksheet (PDF)
3. Plan ahead and minimize surprises
Semesters may feel slow at the start, but due dates can creep up on you! Managing your time can mean looking ahead and anticipating what’s to come — this means that you won’t be taken by surprise when an assignment is due or when multiple assignments are due around the same time.
4. Plan strategically
Keeping track of how long it took you to complete an assignment can give you insights about how much time you can expect to set aside for similar assignments. This can help you space out or extend your study time for these assignments.
5. Reduce anxiety
Anxiety can happen when it feels like you must do everything at once, and you have no time to do it. Planning ahead, knowing what deadlines to anticipate and keeping track of your time can help avoid feelings of anxiety and burnout.
6. Avoid cramming
Almost everyone who has ever had to prepare for exams in university has had to cram. You might have exams scheduled consecutively each day of the exam period or you might have multiple exams and tests in one day. Planning your time can help you avoid cramming it altogether.
7. Create time for the things and people you love
It’s easy to have less time for non-academic activities and people who matter to us. Building time into your schedule for things that you love isn’t a crime and can help you recharge from studying and enrich your university experience.
Interested in learning about how you can create an effective time management schedule? Read 6 tips for creating a schedule that works for you.