With finals week approaching, many of us are scrambling to study for tests, finish projects, and complete research by the end of the year. As the pressure emerges for students to either improve or maintain their current grades, many fall into the trap of being unproductive.
Time management skills are some of the most important attributes that you can possess both in school and the workplace. Employers need to be able to trust their workers to complete tasks efficiently. These tips on how to make best use of your time will not only help you get through Finals Week but also help you as you prepare for internships and a long-term career. Identify where you’re spending your time The first step for anyone who is looking to use their time more productively is to determine how they are spending it. We all have areas of our lives where we are probably wasting our time. The Internet and social media are two areas where people spend too much time. It has been proven that social networks like Instagram and Twitter activate dopamine levels in the brain and create feelings of pleasure. This infographic explains how easy it is for us to habituate checking social media when we’re bored or waiting for something for example. What can I do to cut out wasted time? There are some new apps that can prevent you from consistently check social media and become distracted by it. Using the Self Control App, you can blacklist certain sites and set a timer that blocks you from visiting them. The timer will remain active even if you delete the program or restart your device. All iOS devices now have similar built-in features such as Downtime and screen limits. Downtime will prevent you from going on to specific apps during a predetermined time of the day and screen limits will close the app after you have spent a certain amount of time on it over the course of a given day. However, both of these features allow you to ignore the limit and continue using the app for an extra 15 minutes or indefinitely so they serve more as helpful reminders as opposed to firm barriers. Screen Time will also give you statistics on how much time you average per day on your device and keeps track of how much time you're spending on each app as well. Here are step by step instructions that will show you how to use these functions so that you can break your bad habits and replace them with more productive ones. Other notable points A quick online search will find a plethora of advice on the best ways for one to improve their time management skills. Many of these articles have many similar points of advice. Here are a couple of the most prevalent pieces of advice for improving time management skills:
Market your time management skills Even now as college students, most of you are probably practicing good time management skills. These soft skills can be marketed to potential employers and are certainly transferable. If you’re someone who has joined multiple clubs and organizations on campus in addition to your course load, showcase how you were able to productively manage all of those commitments on a resume or in an interview. The same applies to working a part-time or on-campus job during your time in college. Even if you have helped a faculty member as part of a major research project, that type of work shows you can produce quality work on multiple tight deadlines. Companies need to be able to trust their employees to get their work done without looking over the shoulders of their employees. This especially applies to members of smaller staffs and organizations. Find the strategy that works for you Not every one of these pieces of advice are going to help every person manage their time effectively. However, there are a plethora of resources that will help you find the productivity habits that will work best for you. Pick and choose the pieces of advice that fit with the individual factors in your life and you will see your time management skills improve. Sometimes all it takes is a little trial and error mixed with discipline. You’ve got this When you have multiple deadlines in a very short period of time, stress can build up very quickly and you might find it very hard to keep focused or productive. The most important thing to remember is to stay positive. While the stress of Finals Week might be getting to you already, if you keeping pushing forward and find ways to work efficiently, your will gradually accomplish everything you need to do. More importantly, if you prove that you have the ability to manage your time effectively now, you will be a better candidate for a potential employer or position. Good time management skills are keys for happy and successful personal and professional lives.
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