6 Time Management Hacks All Successful Students Use

As Crystal Pain once said: "If you want to be more productive, you need to become a master of your minutes." Students feel the need to manage their time effectively, and only those who can do it succeed in their life. If you want to catch up with studies and social life, you need to know how to plan and organize your schedule right.

This helpful habit will set you up for success in the long term. So how to fulfill everything you want to and not to feel anxious or overwhelmed? In this article, we've pointed out 6 time management hacks that will make you one step closer to your goals.

Prioritize

Successful students know what they want and what they need. They devote their time to things that matter and don't overwhelm themselves. If you're struggling with balancing everything, you might just have too much on your plate. Keep in mind that some of those things are likely to be not that vital. It may take some efforts to place your tasks in order of priority.

Write down a list of things you do on a daily basis and think twice if they are worthy of your attention. If you can get rid of some of them, do it. This will improve your productivity and make room in your schedule. If you have too many assignments and look for help, turn to a perfect essay writing service to free up your to-do list.

College undoubtedly should be your priority, but if you neglect the things that you enjoy, it can lead to burnout and stress. To avoid such mishaps, always leave some space in the schedule for your hobbies, friends, and me-time. Professional writers will take up the burdens of your academic life for you to have more breathing space.

Learn to Say 'No'

Prioritizing leads to one more skill, which young people tend to lack. Being a student implies a busy life full of highs and lows, but it also means new experiences, where one is eager to be everywhere and take part in every interesting event. It is quite understandable why it may be difficult to say "no" to new opportunities. But don't let yourself feel like you're missing out on something important.

Learning to say 'no' is a must if you want to manage your time properly. Remember, that when you take on a new project or a hobby, it means that you reject another, perhaps more essential activity in your life.

Know How You Use Your Time 

To make a conclusion about how you can improve your productivity, it is essential to have a clear picture of what you do during the day and how much time you spend on each task. Let's say you wake up with an intention to achieve several goals.

So, you start off your day, go to college, do some routine chores. Then you blink and the day is over, and you haven't done what you'd planned. Does that sound familiar? If so, then you don't know exactly what your day is taken up with.

The great thing is that nowadays it is easy to track your day with the help of accessible and quick apps like RescueTime or Toggl. The latter has a timer mode function, where you can hit the start button and it automatically records how many minutes you actually spend on each task.

This approach brings two benefits. It gives you an accurate image of how you really use the time. If you use it, you will be able to prioritize your tasks and eliminate those that have nothing to do with your goals. Secondly, it will encourage you to work on one activity and stay on track, because you will want the timer to reflect the real number of minutes you spend on the task.

Sleep Well

In the pursuit of extra time, students often neglect sleep and try to write an essay or finish a project in the night right before the deadline. This leads to a lower level of concentration, decreases brain activity, and negatively influences health. 

Sleep deprivation will give you more hours in a day, but it will eventually lower your life quality. If you want to deliver insightful ideas all day long, you need to take care of your sleep schedule. It can be done with the help of apps like Sleep Cycle or Bedtime, which will ensure that you gain a necessary number of hours asleep.

Do the Hardest Tasks First

When you're a student, a dreadful word 'deadline' is pursuing you throughout college life. To deal with due dates and avoid matters which aren't urgent it is essential to complete the most complicated tasks ahead of time. Knowing that you're all set with the hardest stuff will bring you a sense of relief.

Break up Big Tasks

One of the reasons why people procrastinate is that a task may seem so complicated that the mere thought of it intimidates them. To tackle this problem, one of the solutions could be breaking the task into smaller chunks. Allocate one hour a day doing it and you will eventually complete it faster than if you put it off till the last day.

Final Thoughts

As a matter of fact, managing your time means managing yourself. If you can't focus on your goal or you never have enough time, try to look at your life from a different perspective. Think about how you can motivate or discipline yourself.

Many find it easier when they have a schedule, others prefer freedom and planning is not their cup of tea. One way or another, you need to find the best way that works for you. Try out our tips and see if your life in college becomes more enjoyable or not. 

In case nothing is good enough, ask your friends who are good at handling their tasks for tips or advice. Pay attention to how they manage their life and don't be afraid to ask for help. We usually admire people, who we want to be like, so his or her way can be exactly what you need.