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Managing Your Time

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS

There are 168 hours in one week. In the midst of all of these hours, you not only have to go to class, but also find time to sleep, eat, study, socialize, etc. As a student here at UNCA, you will quickly come to realize that time management is essential for your success! Below are a few suggestions to help improve your time management skills. A printable (.pdf) version of our Time Management Tips handout is also available.

  • At the beginning of the semester, use your course syllabi to fill in a monthly calendar with the subjects and due dates of all your exams, papers, essays, quizzes, presentations, projects, and any other graded assignments. This will help you see which weeks in the semester will be the busiest for you and serve as a good starting point for you to start planning your time accordingly. If you have several tests or papers due in one week, you may want to start working on them ahead of time to avoid cramming and unnecessary stress.
  • Be sure to copy down important dates that correspond with the UNCA’s Academic Calendar into your personal calendar. You need to be aware of important dates, such as the last day to drop/add or withdraw from a class and when advising for pre-registration begins. Writing down these dates will help keep deadlines from sneaking up and surprising you.
  • Don’t try to be a perfectionist. You will only set yourself up for disappointment if you try to be perfect at everything you do all of the time. Adding the unnecessary pressure to never do anything wrong will only cause problems, such as procrastination, rather than help your situation.
    Learn to say “no.”
  • Another obstacle closely related to perfectionism is the inability to say “no.” If you always say “yes” to every request you receive, you will quickly find yourself depleted of the time you need for important tasks, such as studying, sleeping, etc. Politely saying “no” can help you stick to your schedule and get things accomplished.
  • Learn to prioritize. Prioritizing your responsibilities and tasks is the first step towards avoiding procrastination. If you are unable to prioritize, you might end up not working on anything at all because you will not know where to begin. To-do lists are often helpful, but if these don’t work for you, explore other ways that will help you determine the importance of all your responsibilities.
  • Multi-task whenever possible. If you are able to do more than one thing at a time (without sacrificing the quality of your work), combining activities together can save you a great deal of time. For instance, listen to recorded lectures or the CDs that come with your textbooks
    during your morning commute or organize your notebooks while watching TV.
  • Make the most of your free time during the day. Whether it’s in between classes, while you’re riding the bus, or waiting to meet up with some friends in the Quad, utilize these moments for quick reviews. Refer to your class notes or create flash cards to use during these moments; you will be surprised by how much studying you can complete when you use these spare moments to your advantage.
  • Don’t waste time agonizing. Get in the habit of beginning with your least desirable tasks first. By doing so, you will feel better about crossing them off your list, and you will look forward to tackling more enjoyable tasks as you work. If something comes up and you need to rearrange your schedule, don’t waste time by stressing out – just rearrange what you need to and get back to work.
  • Tackle procrastination before it sabotages you. We oftentimes procrastinate because we either do not want to do the task we have been assigned to do or we believe the task is too overwhelming. To overcome this obstacle, it’s important to recognize when you fall into the trap of procrastination, understand why you are procrastinating, and then take the appropriate steps to stop the process. Below are a few suggestions to help combat procrastination.
  • Make a to-do list
  • Prioritize your tasks
  • Ask a friend to serve as an accountability partner to help keep you focused
  • Create a rewards system so you have something to look forward to once you complete your task

Back-Tasking is a useful way to help gain a better perspective on what you need to accomplish. Backtasking is a method in which you break down assignments into small chunks and assign a date for them to be completed. By doing this, you can help prevent prep work for a task from sneaking up on and overwhelming you. Below are steps to successfully back-task.

Mark on your calendar when the assignment/task is due. Determine which smaller tasks need to be finished by a specific date in order for you to complete the main assignment and write them on your calendar.  Break down tedious reading assignments into small chunks over several days rather than all at once the night before class.

If back-tasking is a new concept to you, it may be difficult in the beginning to get into the routine. As such, it’s important for you to remember to carry your calendar with you, and review it frequently. This will help you stay focused on the tasks you have designated to finish as you make your way towards the completion of your assignment. Most importantly, if you lose control of your time, you can easily lose control of your back-tasking system. If this happens, try again - don’t give up!