Managing your time
Successful people have good time management skills. Learn strategies to make the most of the hours in your day.
Hear what students say about managing your workload at university.
Do you never have enough time in your day? Do you leave things to the last minute? By setting and completing tasks, you'll get a sense of achievement and feel productive.
Set up a study routine
Mark all assignment dates on your wall planner or diary (you can get these for free from VUWSA if you join). You can use the Workload planner exc18KB for the whole year, or the Assignment planner pdf240KB for each trimester.
Mark in all of your fixed weekly commitments such as work and sport. You can use the Week planner pdf347KB or Allocating your time handout pdf172KB . Alternatively you can use the Excel Weekly planner template exc51KB.
Plan your study times
You will need to study 8–10 hours a week for each undergraduate course you take. Include readings, summarising, reviewing notes, researching, asking questions about your readings and lectures, study groups, planning and drafting assignments.
Read the Suggested study routine pdf392KB handout to get a picture of how planning your time works in practice.
What other people say about managing time
- Inside the mind of a master procrastinator (TED Talk by Tim Urban). Urban talks about why we procrastinate. He also identifies two types of procrastinators: the deadline procrastinator and the non-deadline procrastinator.
- Five stellar time management tips (Thomas Frank). Frank is the creator of the blog collegeinfogeek.com full of advice for students managing their studies, finances and employment. In this blog entry he lists his five top tips.
- Getting things done for college students: The full system (Cal Newport). Newport breaks down the steps and what you need to implement a system to get things done.
Develop your skills
Make a one-to-one appointment with a learning adviser.