Time management gives students the techniques required to prioritise and plan their time effectively, along with methods on how to break tasks down into manageable chunks, beat procrastination and build up their concentration.
Sample activity: Explore the experiences of other students on how they manage their time
Module content
Time management features the following:
- Diagnostic test
- Section 1: Planning and prioritising
- Section 2: Time management techniques
- Module assessment
See what’s in each section below:
Explore the experiences of other students on how they manage their time
It can be helpful to talk with other students about how they manage their time. They may have some strategies and ideas you’d like to try for yourself.
Best ways to avoid procrastination – Transcript
How do you avoid procrastination?
Niya: I guess it’s just always trying to be aware of when you’re procrastinating and when you may
procrastinate, because procrastination is really weird in a sense that it kind of creeps up on you.
You could isolate yourself in your room, set everything aside, then all of a sudden you’re on
Facebook and you don’t even notice.
So it’s trying to be aware of when you are working and when you’re not.
Megan: I work better around other people because it motivates me because to see other people
working so I want to work. So if I was in a library I wouldn’t put on Netflix on my laptop because
everyone else is working. So that for me is probably the best method for working – not being alone.
Emily: I slide my phone under my bed if I’m working at home. Otherwise if it’s on the desk - it’s easy.
I think that’s just the modern world we live in. There’s a lot of distractions, so it’s just being really
strict with yourself. Then you’ve got all the time in the world to be on the phone or whatever
afterwards.
Holly: I find it quite easy to work in cafes as well, you sort have the pressure: ‘oh no, they need this
table’ or there’s people waiting, ‘I can’t sit here because they think I need to buy something else’, so
you’re like ‘I need to do this and then go’. It’s like a little time sensitive deadline.
Natasha: Playing music really helps, just zoning out with headphones on. Obviously like you said,
work space is really good, just make sure you don’t sit on your bed while you’re doing i
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Nat
Know your weak points and don’t pretend they don’t matter. Mine is Twitter.
I want to tweet all the time and I’m pretty bad at doing bits of study between tweets so basically it is no tweeting for me when I am studying. It’s just easier.
At the end of the day, I know I can send some smug tweets about how much work I have done!
Charlie
When you are researching online there is always the temptation to look up just one more thing or to see what another search engine turns up. You have to know when enough is enough.
Leigh
The thing about studying so much on your own is that you realise how you rely on other people such as teachers or others working around you to help you stay concentrated yourself. When it is just you and the computer, you drift off more easily, so you need to give yourself ways of staying focused.
I always start out by making a list of things I have to do – there’s always more to add than I imagine, and that usually shocks me into getting down to it.
Pete
I thought time management was just a catchphrase, not something I needed (or wanted!) to dedicate extra time and attention to.
I had no idea how much time I wasted until I actually started to take note of it.
It made me realise all the things I could do if I was more disciplined in how I use time – so now I am more aware of these things. A bit of time used in planning, saves a lot of time later.