Time management is always a struggle, but that’s okay! Hopefully some of these tips, apps, and printables will make your day a little easier.
Tips
Planning ahead: put together a schedule before you start your work. Start by writing out a list of all the tasks you need to complete and allotting times to them, and finish by putting them into a schedule of everything you need to complete.
Leave time for the little things: if you need to do it, make sure you schedule some time for it. For instance, if you need to sweep the floor, or tidy up your workspace, make sure you schedule in fifteen minutes to make sure you get it done.
Most important first: schedule the most important assignments first and leave the least important to last. This will ensure that you put your best work into the most significant tasks, and don’t procrastinate.
Use your downtime: fifteen minutes on the bus? In the waiting room before an appointment? Make the most of any time you have, and start to chip away at little tasks, like annotating a book or practicing flashcards.
Plan long term tasks: make sure you have a calendar or planner to look ahead. When you have large projects, look ahead so you can start to break them down into smaller segments. Planning ahead is also useful so that you can avoid piling too much work onto a busy day.
Schedule in time buffers: even if you’ve planned to the best of your ability, don’t schedule your time too tightly. Make sure that you leave a little time on each task— five to fifteen minutes, depending on the size of the assignment— so that if you go a little over, it doesn’t cause a domino effect by spilling into your next task. It also helps alleviate a little stress, as your schedule will be less rigid.
Apps and Websites
- Toggl: lets you track how much time you spend on each task and project/class, and see a graphical breakdown by day, task, and week.
- Trello: helpful for planning, and lets you sort tasks into lists. MaryPlethora has a great video here on how to use both as planning tools!
- Pomello: a pomodoro timer which works alongside Trello to help you plan and time your tasks
- Lanes.io: an excellent website which includes task lists, a to-do list, and a built-in pomodoro timer, along with gorgeous and customizable backgrounds
- Google calendar: versatile online calendar for planning events and projects, with a to-do list and shareable calendars
- Time Tracker: records your browsing and lets you know how much time you spend on each website to help manage procrastination
Printables
Schedule printables
- Weekly planners from @intellectus
- Daily printable from @aescademic
- Daily planner from @arystudies
To-do list printables
Naama's blog 