Studying abroad is exciting, but in all honesty, it is also a juggling act where you have to manage your time between lectures, part-time work, cultural adjustments, and everyday responsibilities. This makes mastering time management for students not just important but an essential life skill to have. In this blog, we will be talking about some lesser-known strategies that will help you learn how to manage time as a student to stay on top of your studies while enjoying your social life. Read on!
Table of Contents
1. Create a Calendar
2. Build a Personalized Schedule
3. Use Tools That Work for You
4. Avoid Multitasking
5. Understand Your Body’s Natural Highs and Lows
6. Leverage Time Management Techniques
7. Use Accountability Partners
8. Take a Break at the Right Time
9. Understand How You Are Spending Your Current Time
10. Be Realistic and Flexible
Studying abroad is exciting, but in all honesty, it is also a juggling act where you have to manage your time between lectures, part-time work, cultural adjustments, and everyday responsibilities. This makes mastering time management for students not just important but an essential life skill to have. In this blog, we will be talking about some lesser-known strategies that will help you learn how to manage time as a student to stay on top of your studies while enjoying your social life. Read on!
To put it in the simplest language, time management is a way by which we control and plan how we are going to spend our time on different activities. But we use time management for more than just controlling how we are going to spend our time, we use it to get more, better, and important work done in less time and at the earliest.
There are three main elements of time management: organization, planning, and scheduling which help us minimize wasted time and maximize productive time to achieve our desired goals and outcomes.
But what makes time management an important aspect of a student’s life? And even more so for international students? Let us talk about this below.
When it comes to time management for students, it is not just a helpful habit to have, but it is a game changer that can pull you out of procrastination and have a major impact on your academic career.
While it is such an important life tool, it is also difficult to master. This is especially true for international students who have to navigate life in a new culture, language, and academic system. There are classes, assignments, extracurriculars, and personal responsibilities all fighting for a spot in your 24-hour day which can make things a little overwhelming.
This is the reason why learning how to manage time as a student is really important, it can help you stay organized, meet deadlines, and avoid the stress of last-minute cramming.
Also Read: Apps For International Students
Below are 10 tips and strategies on how to improve time management skills for students along with how you can balance the demands of career, life, and college:
Our first tip for time management is to create a calendar, this might sound like a basic strategy but many students overlook how important it is and how big of an impact it can make in their life. In your calendar, you can try to add all the upcoming deadlines, social events, exams, and other commitments that you cannot afford to miss.
This way, you will not be surprised by a last-minute task with no time to complete it. If you want, you can either get a digital calendar or use a desk one so that you can see it every day. If you are going for a digital calendar, you can try to integrate it with other efficiency tools like your email.
Based on your preference, you can choose from:
Next on our list of time management tips for students is to build a personalized schedule that will work for you. Since everyone has a different rhythm, creating a personalized schedule that is tailored to your pace can make a big difference.
First, add important and unavoidable commitments like work, errands, study sessions, classes, chores, and other extracurricular activities. Then, consider when you feel most energized and which task is more important.
For example, if you are a morning person, then try to complete your chores and studies in the morning. If you feel a little low or lazy in the afternoon, then you can give yourself a break or meet your friends.
You absolutely cannot ignore the role of digital tools that can make your life as a student easy and hassle-free. There are various tools for student time management that can keep you organized, help you develop effective time management habits, prioritize academic responsibilities, and achieve your academic goals. These are the tools:
Yes, multitasking might seem like an effective way to improve time management skills for students and to some extent it does work. But it eventually leads to physical and mental exhaustion and complete burnout.
The more tasks you focus on and divide your attention into, the longer it will take for you to complete them. Instead, what you can do is focus on one task, as per some studies, focusing on one task at a time can make you 500% more productive.
Next one of our study tips for students is to understand what your body needs, how it works, and how it is reacting to your schedule. Based on your body’s highs and lows, you can allot time-based on priority.
In addition to this, in psychology, there is also something called the planning fallacy. This is a cognitive bias where people underestimate the resources, time, and effort that a task is going to take even when they know similar tasks have taken longer in the past.
This optimistic bias can lead to missed deadlines, budget overruns, and increased stress. Avoiding and countering the planning fallacy is one of the most effective time management tips for students where you can add buffer time to your schedule based on how familiar you are with the task at hand.
Once you get an idea of the workload and priorities you have, you can try to use various time management techniques that suit your learning styles and schedules. A key to learning and learning how to manage time for study is experimenting with different techniques until you find one that works for you and keeps you consistent and productive.
You can choose from various highly regarded techniques like:
Our next tip on time management for students is to use accountability partners. When you manage everything on your own, things can get a little difficult. So, to get over this you can find yourself an accountability partner who can boost your motivation and keep procrastination in check.
This can be anyone, be it your classmate, a friend, or even a study group with whom you can set weekly check-ins to share progress, set goals, or even work side by side (virtually or in person).
In addition to this, if you are an international student, then having a study partner can also help you adapt socially and academically to a new place.
An effective strategy that can help in boosting your productivity is learning how to take a break, especially at the right time. As per research, our minds usually crave a break after 90 minutes of continuous and intense work.
You will eventually feel tired, sleepy, or lazy on your own even without using a timer. So, understand your body clock and try to take intentional breaks before you burn out or your energy takes a dip. When you pause with purpose, you'll return to your tasks with better focus, creativity, and efficiency.
An important step in learning how to manage time for study is to first understand how you are spending your current time and especially where you are losing it. In the end, you only have 24 hours in a day where as a student you need to manage multiple things.
But by analyzing where you are wasting your time and where you can optimize it, you can get more productive and develop better time management habits.
Lastly, this might sound like an obvious tip. However, being realistic and flexible can make time management for students much less complex than it needs to be. You are bound to miss deadlines or get out of track due to unforeseen circumstances but try to be patient if things are not going your way.
When you build your calendar or priority list, try to be realistic about it. Don’t take more than you can handle, both physically and mentally because time management is less about sticking to a schedule and more about being fluid with your time.
The tips on how to manage time as a student above are great, but international students face different issues when it comes to navigating academic and personal life abroad.
Living independently in a new country while managing your studies, personal life, and other responsibilities can be tough but you can follow these tips for international students below to make it a little easier:
As an international student, when you create your schedule, make sure that you set specific hours each week for cultural adaptation and important paperwork. This includes things like setting up a bank account, navigating public transport, attending orientation events, or adjusting to local customs.
If you are taking an online class from another country or communicating with your friends and family across different time zones, then you can use time management tools. These are tools like Google Calendar, World Time Buddy, or time zone widgets which will help you avoid missed meetings or confusion.
Our next tip on time management for students is to cook meals in a big batch on the weekend. This will not only help you eat healthier at-home food but can also avoid wasting time deciding what to eat and frequent grocery runs.
In a new environment, following a consistent routine can help you stay grounded and build flexibility to deal with some unexpected events. However, make sure to keep key activities like study sessions, meals, and sleep on a regular schedule.
A simple student time management tip for those abroad is to track their finances. If you are checking your balance and converting currencies, then managing your money can get a little time-consuming. Instead, you can use budgeting apps and set up automation to save time and avoid financial stress.
Lastly, if you are working part time then try to build your schedule around your job and visa regulations. Make sure that you are aware of the visa restrictions and legal work limits so that you can create a schedule that fits within those boundaries and still allows enough time for studying, rest, and social activities.
Also Read: Uni Essentials
In conclusion, time management for students can feel a little overwhelming at first, especially if you are an international student navigating life abroad. But with our tips for time management above, you can create a more productive and less stressful student experience. Additionally, having a comfortable and well-located accommodation can also make a big difference by reducing your commute time. If you need help finding the right student accommodation in UK then you can connect with us at GraddingHomes.com to find fully furnished, secure, and conveniently located housing options near major universities across the UK.
Some of the best time management tools for students include Google Calendar, Trello or Notion, Todoist or Microsoft To Do, Pomodoro Timer apps, and Time-tracking apps like Toggl. All these will help you in scheduling classes, organizing tasks, managing daily tasks, and Encouraging focused study.
While multitasking can help in some cases, majorly it is not a good strategy because it reduces productivity and leads to lower work quality. It is better to focus on one task at a time and use techniques like time blocking or the Pomodoro Technique. However, passive multitasking on the other hand can be a great strategy for review purposes.
If you fall behind, you can get back on track by assessing the situation, prioritizing tasks, creating a catch-up plan, and trying to stay consistent. This will help you identify what you are behind on and tackle urgent and high-impact assignments first.
To create a weekly schedule, you can start by listing all your fixed commitments, goals for the week, study time, and buffer time. Then by using a planner or digital calendar, you can allocate time blocks for each of these tasks. Lastly, review and revise your schedule every week and try to stay flexible to adapt based on what is working for you.
The perfect time to study depends on your rhythm, if you are a morning person then studying in the morning is a better option. However, if you prefer studying in a quiet environment with fewer distractions then night may work better for you.
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