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Introduction Keyword

Time management TIME MANAGEMENT

Online learning

Reading
Time management quick overview
Note-taking

Study groups

Critical thinking

Time Management
This interactive book gives you information on effective time management at university
Designed by Richard Scharges- Library Learning Services

Read

Time management in detail

Effective time management allows you to work smarter but not harder or longer. You
can plan your study time, set goals, prioritise tasks and break down tasks into smaller
workable parts.

Follow the steps below to begin managing your time.

Time audit
What are the current demands on your time?

Consider a typical week on your calendar or weekly planner. Record all study and non-
study activities like, eating, sleeping, socialising and paid work. Find out how you really
spend the time available to you.

Time management style

How do you prefer to work?

Reflect on your preferred time management style.

Do you prefer to work to a deadline or work best when under pressure?

Do you prefer spontaneity or planning your work ahead of time?

Do you prefer to work on many tasks simultaneously or complete one task at a time?

Do you like to constantly keep perfecting your work or do you prefer to complete tasks and
move on?

Use your responses to help raise your self-awareness of your time management style.
Recognise the advantages and disadvantages of your style of working. Use the information
to adapt your style to university requirements for learning and assessments.

For example, make a list of all your tasks according to due dates or value to you if you have
difficulty prioritising tasks. Or, set yourself a series of mini-deadlines in a course with one
large assessment if deadlines help keep you on track.

Adapted from Clark (2021).

Goal setting
Set yourself specific and realistic goals. Remember to prioritise assessments according to
their percentage of your grade. For example, an assessment worth 30% should be
prioritised over an assessment worth 10%.

Semester planner
Use a semester planner (scroll down to Further resources) to mark all your activities over
the entire semester. Note all important dates for each assessment on the semester
planner. Include other commitments relating to paid work, family and friends. This gives you
the ‘big picture’ of all your commitments. Identify the busy periods so that you can spread
out your workload across the semester.

Weekly planner
Use the weekly planner (scroll down to Further resources) to mark all your activities over
each week of the semester. This will identify time available for planning outside class study
or any group work that is required.

Daily planner
Use a daily planner or ‘To-do’ list to identify and keep track of what you must do each day.
Write the tasks as a list of dot points and rank them in order of importance. Cross them off
as you complete each task and reward yourself at the end of the day.

Assessment planner
Use the Assessment Planner to create a schedule for completing your assignment on time.

Hint: use an end date that is at least 3 days prior to the actual due date to allow time for
the unexpected or interruptions outside your control.

Procrastination
There are many reasons for procrastination. Negative effects of procrastination are wide-
ranging and may affect your academic progress and success. Recognise episodes of
procrastination and your reasons for it to avoid repetition in the future.

To defeat procrastination, you must:

Remove distractions

Be more organised

Be realistic with your goals

Clarify your tasks and expectations

Acknowledge and reward your past successes

Share your goals with others to accept responsibility

Apply time management strategies given in the next section.

Time management strategies

Pomodoro technique
Use the Pomodoro technique (Cirillo, n.d.) to ‘get in the zone', focus on a task and be
productive. The Pomodoro encourages you to do intense work in blocks of time with
regular breaks in-between.

Choose a task.

Set a timer for 25 minutes.

Work on the task until the timer rings.

Note where you are with the task.

Take a 5 min break, reward yourself.

Take a longer break of 30 minutes after every four Pomodoro sessions.

 Daily top three
Use this simple yet effective technique if you prefer to focus on a set number of tasks.

Note the three most important tasks on your daily ‘To-do’ list.

Make these the ‘daily top three’ tasks to complete that day.

You may modify the technique if required to fit in with other commitments.

Do the ‘daily top two’ or ‘daily task’, depending on the time you have on a specific day
(Clark, 2021).

Break down tasks

Use this technique for large and complex tasks.

Break down the large task into smaller parts that are easier to complete.

Use SMART thinking to describe each smaller part

Specific – you know what it is

Measurable - you can measure it

Achievable - you can complete it

Relevant – you know it must be done

Time-bound - you know when to complete it.

Complete either the easiest part first or the most difficult part first – the latter will give you
a greater sense of satisfaction and more incentive to complete the other parts.

More tips
Manage your environment - find a physical environment that helps you to concentrate.

Manage stress effectively don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends and family.

Consult with an Academic Skills and Language Advisor or drop in to see a Peer Learning
Advisor (PLA) for guidance.

Speak with a counsellor.

Set limits on phone and social media usage. Set aside a regular time for social media. Move
apps to a folder outside the home screen. Try an app that helps you manage social media.

Boost your confidence by thinking of the successes and accomplishments you’ve had so
far.

Don’t give yourself a hard time if things don’t work out as planned.

Persist with your plan.

Be kind to yourself. Self-compassion is important!

Further resources
 Daily Planner [Word 23kb]
 Daily Planner [Excel 20kb]
 Weekly Planner [Word 74kb]
 Weekly Planner [PDF 77kb]
 Term Planner [Word 64kb]
 Term Planner [PDF 31kb]
 Semester Planner 2024 Semester 1 [Word 57kb]
 Semester Planner 2024 Semester 1 [PDF 136kb]

SMART goals

Time management - A realistic approach (Journal article)

Pathfinder link
Still have questions? Do you want to talk to an expert? Peer Learning Advisors
or Academic Skills and Language Advisors are available.

References

Cirillo, F. (n.d). The Pomodoro technique. Cirillo Consulting.

https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique/

Clark, L. (2021). Time management. In C. Bartlett, T. Cawthray, L. Clark, S. Conway, K. Derrington, A.

Devi, A. Frederiks, L. Gunton, W. Hargreaves, D. Howarth, S. Irvine, M. Jeffers, K. Lovric, R.
McGregor, E. Peters, L. Pickstone, B. Retallick, Y. Rose, A. Sahay, ... R. Tweedale
(Eds.), Academic success (Australian ed., pp. 51-75). University of Southern
Queensland. https://usq.pressbooks.pub/academicsuccess/ Used under CC BY-NC-SA
4.0 license.

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