Whether you’re a teacher or student, your day consists of many obligations that can get a little chaotic after time. Having many things to do and little time to do it can lead to stress, clutter, and more things on your to-do list, so time management is very important to avoid these effects.
People often don’t think about how to get things done efficiently by the time they think about everything that has to be done. This can be caused by stress, overthinking, and procrastination because the amount of things on their to-do lists can get very overwhelming.
However, if things are done efficiently, the things will get done, you’re not rushed, and you’ll have more time to relax.
In Mark Pettit’s article, “10 Benefits of Time Management,” he expresses that the top 10 positive results of time management are: less stress, better word-life balance, more time freedom, greater focus, higher levels of productivity, less procrastination, things are simpler and easier, less distractions, increased energy, and time to think.
Extra time produced by time management is very beneficial because that time can be used to relax, think, or spend more time with friends or family. These activities have a great impact on your mental well-being because they help to avoid worry. Simply worrying about one thing, for example a test coming up, can spread. One small worry spreads and expands to become many worries, which leads to stress. All of the worries about everything that can possibly be overthought about becomes overwhelming, which can lead to procrastination. This happens because how overwhelming it gets can lead to self doubt in getting everything done. In Pettit’s article, he explains that this can be avoided by managing your time wisely so that things do get done efficiently.
To manage your time strategically, you have to revolve around your schedule, how many things need to be done, and how much time it will take to do each individual obligation.
In Corporate Finance Institute’s article, “Time Management,” the authors explain how to efficiently manage your time with 7 steps.
The first step is to set goals correctly. These goals should be reasonably set based on your schedule and what they are. For example, an unreasonable goal would be to get a project due in a month done in a day. This goal can lead to a high amount of stress because of the amount of pressure it produces.
The second step is to prioritize wisely. One way to do this is to write down everything on your to-do list, and arrange them in a list: the top of the list being the most important obligations and the bottom being the least. This is beneficial because, for example, if you have a project due in a week and a homework assignment due tomorrow, it’s more effective to complete the homework assignment first since it’s due at a sooner date.
The third step is to set a time limit to complete a task. Setting a time limit allows time for a break and helps to plan your day for other tasks.
“I encourage all of my students to study for 15 minutes each night instead of for 2 hours straight because studying means nothing if you don’t understand the material,” Mrs. Kunkle says. “This spreads the time out evenly, keeps their brain fresh of the information, and helps them to better understand the topic we’re learning because they can ask questions later for clarification.”
Mrs. Kunkle has a specific method for teaching that encourages students to take things step by step.
“This time management method is important in my class especially because we build the foundation, then build on top of that, meaning that if a student doesn’t understand the foundation material, they won’t understand much of the following.”
Branching off of that, the fourth step is to take a break between tasks. A break is beneficial because it offers time to take a breather and refresh your mindset. Working on a single task for a long period of time can cause stress.
The fifth step is to organize yourself. This can be done by making a calendar, writing down deadlines, and planning accordingly to your daily schedule.
Removing non-essential tasks is the sixth step. This is important because it determines what is important and helps you to use the time you have wisely.
The seventh step is to plan ahead. After completing all of the steps listed above and finishing your previous to-do list, planning ahead keeps you on track and organized for the future. When planning ahead, keeping the previous recommendations in mind will help you complete your tasks quickly and efficiently.