Time Management & Productivity Strategies

The key to successful time management in college is to plan ahead. There is no perfect “one
size fits all” strategy for staying organized and budgeting your time, so you may need to
experiment a bit to find a system that works for you. Here are some evidence-based strategies
to get you started:

1. Use a planner (electronic or hard copy) to stay organized. Schedule your routine
commitments, such as classes and extracurricular activities, and use the remaining time to
schedule time for studying and homework. It also helps to write in office hours for your
instructors, help desk hours, and academic mentoring sessions so you know when help is
available in case you need it.

2. Make planning a habit. Set aside a small amount of time each day, or a larger chunk of time
once a week, to create a to-do list and schedule for upcoming tasks. By laying this
foundation, you’ll be better prepared to make slight adjustments when unexpected things
arise. Planning ahead will also help to eliminate stress from “trying to find time” to study,
playing catch-up on homework, and cramming for tests.

3. Engage in self-reflection to identify when you are most productive. For example, if you are
most focused/productive in the afternoon, try scheduling your most difficult tasks in the
afternoon, rather than earlier or later in the day when they will take longer and require
more energy. Everyone is different, so find what works for you.

4. Create to-do lists with set deadlines. Having a list of action items for the day can help you
stay on task and increase your productivity. Many students report that crossing something
off their to-do list gives them a sense of satisfaction and keeps them motivated.

Ideally, you should prioritize the items on your to-do list, so you know where to focus your
time and energy and which tasks you can afford to put off until later if you run out of time.
Here is an example of a prioritized to-do list that you can use to plot your schedule (see tip
#6).

To-Do Item Time Needed Deadline Priority Level

Reading (prep for class
30 minutes 3:00pm Monday 4/13 1 2 3 4
discussion)
Slides for anthropology
2 hours Next meeting 4/16 1 2 3 4
group project
Monday 4/20
Study for exam 3 3 hours 1 2 3 4
(Exam Wednesday 4/22)

Click here to download a 4-column to-do list worksheet.

5. Prioritize tasks/duties/meetings based on importance and urgency using the quadrant
method (also called the Eisenhower Matrix):

Importance

Important, Urgent Not Important, but Urgent

(Do it now!) (Delegate, if possible)
Urgency
Not Important, Not Urgent
Important, but Not Urgent
(Postpone or discard from the
(Schedule a time to do it)
to-do list)

Urgency is fairly self-explanatory; a paper due tomorrow morning is more urgent than an
assignment due the following night. Importance is a more subjective continuum; consider
which tasks are likely to have the greatest impact on your life, grades, etc. The key to a
functional matrix is to put no more than 2-3 items in the “do it now” section.

6. Break large tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks. For example, writing a
paper can seem like a daunting task; you know it will take a considerable amount of time to
complete, and it can be hard to figure out where to start. Instead of putting “write paper”
on your to-do list, you could break down the assignment like this:

To-Do Item Time Needed

Brainstorm paper topic 1 hour
Research 2 hours
Outline paper 1 hour
Write introduction 1 hour
Write conclusion 1 hour
First Draft 2 hours
Take to Writing Center 1 hour
Revise Draft 2 hours

At first, it may be difficult to judge how long each of these sub-tasks will take you to
complete, but that skill will improve with time. The first few times you use this method, try
to budget more time than you think you’ll need.

7. Plot your schedule on a calendar. This can be a useful alternative or supplement to using a
planner, to help give you a “big picture” view of the week ahead. Begin by adding your fixed
weekly commitments (classes, extracurriculars, etc.) to your calendar, and then plot your
 to-do list items in the white spaces between them. Your schedule should look something
like this:

Check out the Learning Center’s “How to Plot Your Schedule” guide for more information.

8. Reward yourself for completing tasks on time. When creating a schedule, leave some time
after each task to take a break and enjoy a short, meaningful reward, such as a snack, a few
minutes to check social media, watching one episode of a TV show, etc. If you don’t
complete your task in the amount of time you allotted (because of distractions like enjoying
your reward early), you will lose your scheduled reward.

This is a self-control skill that takes time to build, so stick with it even if you struggle at first.
For more information on methods similar to this, research the Pomodoro Technique.

9. Schedule some time to relax – yes, really! It’s not healthy or reasonable to expect yourself
to devote every waking minute to academic pursuits and making time for leisure will
actually improve your productivity by preventing burnout. After all, college isn’t just about
academics; it’s also a time to build friendships, learn about yourself, engage in the
community/world, and prepare for life after graduation.

When you plan out your schedule for the week, purposely set aside some time for fun or
relaxation, and take that time commitment just as seriously as you do the others.
Scheduling your leisure time can also make it easier to set boundaries and say “no” to other
leisure opportunities that may arise, which will help you avoid procrastination.
Additional resources and further reading:

• The Learning Center Academic Skills Series: Time Management [video]

• Planning When Deadlines are Further Away
• How to Plot Your Schedule
• Worksheet: 4-Column To-Do List
• A Guide to the Pomodoro Technique: College Info Geek
• Resources and Tools for Students: College Info Geek
• Time management apps:
o Nozbe
o My Life Organized
o Rescue Time
o OmniFocus
o MyStudyPlan

References:

Jyothi, N.S., & Parkavi, A. (2016). A study on task management system. In 2016 International
Conference on Research Advances in Integrated Navigation Systems (RAINS) (pp. 1-6). doi:
10.1109/RAINS.2016.7764421

Purdue University Global. (2018, April 19). Time management tips for busy college students.
Retrieved from https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/student-life/time-management-busy-
college-students/

McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Principles of effective time management for
balance, well-being, and success. Retrieved from https://mcgraw.princeton.edu/effective-time-
management

Sienkiewicz, T. (2018, September 19). How to get the most out of your student schedule: 8 tips
for organizing your planner. Retrieved from https://www.petersons.com/blog/student-
schedule/