Although the warmer weather is welcomed, springtime is hectic and stressful for students, with assignments due and upcoming exams on the horizon. But one way to make this period less daunting is efficient time management.
Thanks to their extensive knowledge of student life, our Liverpool student accommodation experts have compiled a useful study guide to help you manage your time more constructively during the trying deadline season.
So, what beneficial time management tips for students are they offering?
Why are time management skills important during deadline season?
One of the most vital skills in any student’s locker is effective time management abilities. Time management is especially essential during busy deadline periods when multiple assignments are due and exams are approaching.
By finessing how you manage your study time, you’ll meet important essay deadlines, overcome procrastination, and gain much higher grades – while feeling much more relaxed!
Effective time management techniques
Spending time to organise your deadlines and planning your study each day goes a long way when it comes to managing your time during the busy deadline period. With this in mind, here are our top tips for managing your study time constructively.
1. Map out your deadlines
Establishing your assignment deadlines should be your first step. Start by looking over your academic calendar and highlighting your upcoming short-term and long-term deadlines.
This will help you to stay ahead of the game and keep you firmly on track to meet all your deadlines – without a last-minute rush for forgotten tasks.
Noting your cut-off dates will help you to produce a time management schedule – which we explore more throughout our next tip!
2. Organise a schedule – and stick to it!
Scheduling your tasks on a day-by-day basis is a productive method to manage your time and progress.
Start by writing a to-do list, prioritising more important tasks, and leaving low-priority, simple tasks until last. From this, you can produce a daily schedule that splits your academic work into slots to focus on throughout the day, week, and month.
Consider how many hours you want to allocate to revision and study per week to help you spread your attention equally across your tasks. Also, set realistic targets for your study – it’s unproductive to allocate excessive study time that simply isn’t achievable and can generate negative feelings that impact your mood and self-esteem.
How can I produce a time management schedule?
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to produce a successful study time management plan, there are several ways that you can go about it.
Schedules can be done via apps, such as GoodNotes, which are helpful interactive platforms that make time management schedules easy to produce and accessible on the go.
Or, keep it traditional with a written schedule – go wild with colour-coded sticky notes, checklists, and highlighters to keep track of completed tasks and upcoming focuses.
But, remember to set reminders and leave space in your plan for regular breaks whilst writing assignments – research at Cornell University highlights that frequent short breaks (between 5-60 minutes) help to refresh your brain, enhance your ability to focus, and boost your energy levels!
3. Study at your student accommodation in Liverpool
An effective way to manage your time is by studying at home. Time management is much easier when you don’t have to factor in commuting times to public workspaces.
Create a clean and tidy revision space by ensuring your desk isn’t cluttered, and avoid distractions by keeping your TV switched off – this will improve the quality of your revision, meaning you make the most out of your time.
However, this isn’t to say that you can’t switch up your revision space from time to time – the library is a great place to engage in independent study or join study sessions with friends.
4. Beat procrastination
Many students naturally experience some level of procrastination during deadline season – which is completely normal! But, there are simple ways to reduce this if you find yourself being more unproductive than productive.
You can split large tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. For example, you could spend half your daily study time on your biggest assignment, and then switch your attention to your other smaller tasks.
This way, your mammoth tasks won’t seem as daunting, and the quality of your written work will be at the highest standard.
Secondly, remove all distractions from your workspace, such as mobile phones, TVs, and games consoles – if you need to keep your phone with you, restrain yourself from watching TikTok reels until you’ve finished your work, regardless of how hard it may be!
5. Dedicate time to relax and unwind
Don’t underestimate the importance of downtime – switching off from your study time when you’ve completed your set tasks allows you to be more productive in the long run.
Rewarding yourself with much-needed you time has many advantages. Relaxing helps to:
- Reduce stress
- Boost your concentration whilst studying
- Enhance sleep quality, which improves your memory and attention span
- Heighten your social life
- Contribute to a fun and complete uni experience!
Exercising, attending social events with friends, and going to extracurricular activities, such as games clubs, are great ways to round off a day of hard work and mental stress.
By following a dedicated revision schedule, working hard, and rewarding and believing in yourself, you are certain to accomplish all your academic goals!
Book your Liverpool student accommodation for 24/25
Student calendars this time of the month are stressful enough without worrying about where you’ll live during the next academic year.
To sort it once and for all, book your place at one of our student accommodations for the 2024/25-year with us today.
For advice on student accommodation in Liverpool or to find out more about a particular location, feel free to speak to one of our friendly team members who have plenty of experience in the student lettings field.
