Time Management Skills
There is time to do all the work you have to do. The problem for most students is that they PROCRASTINATE
If you’ve found yourself putting off important tasks over and over again, you’re not alone. In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree - but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them achieving things they're capable of.
The key to controlling and ultimately combating this habit is to recognize when you start procrastinating, understand why it happens (even to the best of us), and take active steps to better manage your time and outcomes.
Why do we procrastinate?
In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things
that you should be focusing on right now, usually in favour
of doing something that is more enjoyable or that you’re
more comfortable doing.
Procrastinators invest their time in the wrong tasks.
Sometimes this is simply because they don't understand the
difference between urgent tasks and important tasks, and
jump straight into getting on with urgent tasks that aren't
actually important.
They may feel that they're doing the right thing by
reacting fast. Or they may not even think about their
approach and simply be driven by the person whose demands
are loudest. Either way, by doing this, they have little or
no time left for the important tasks, despite the
unpleasant outcomes this may bring about.
Another common cause of procrastination is feeling
overwhelmed by the task. You may not know where to begin.
Or you may doubt that you have the skills or resources you
think you need. So you seek comfort in doing tasks you know
you're capable of completing. Unfortunately, the big task
isn't going to go away - truly important tasks rarely
do. 
Other
causes of procrastination include:
Waiting for the “right” mood or the “right” time to tackle
the important task at hand;
A fear of failure or success;
Underdeveloped decision making skills;
Poor organizational skills; and
Perfectionism ("I don't have the right skills or resources
to do this perfectly now, so I won't do it at all.")
How to Overcome Procrastination:
Step
1: Recognize that you're Procrastinating
If you're honest with yourself, you probably know when
you're procrastinating.
But to be sure, you first need to make sure you know your
priorities. Putting off an unimportant task isn't
procrastination, it's probably good prioritization.
Some useful indicators which will help you pull yourself up
as soon as you start procrastinating include:
Why you procrastinate can depend on both you and the task. But it's important to understand what the reasons for procrastination are for each situation, so that you can select the best approach for overcoming your reluctance to get going.
Common causes of procrastination were discussed in detail above, but they can often be reduced to two main reasons:
If you are putting something off because you just don't want to do it you need to find ways of motivating yourself to get moving. The following approaches can be helpful here:
Activity LogsFinding
Out How You Really Spend Your Time
How
long do you spend each day on unimportant things; Things
that don't really contribute to your success at college? Do
you KNOW how much time you've spent reading magazines,
talking to friends, drinking coffee and going to the shop?
And how often have you thought, "I could achieve so much
more if I just had another half hour each day."
And are you aware of when in the day you work most
effectively?
Most people find they function at different levels of
effectiveness at different times of day as their energy
levels fluctuate. Your effectiveness may vary depending on
the amount of sugar in your blood, the length of time since
you last took a break, routine distractions, stress,
discomfort, or a range of other factors.
Activity logs help you to analyze how you actually spend
your time. The first time you use an activity log you may
be shocked to see the amount of time that you waste! Memory
is a very poor guide when it comes to this, as it can be
too easy to forget time wasted.
Keeping an Activity Log for several days helps you to
understand how you spend your time, and when you perform at
your best. Without modifying your behaviour any further
than you have to, note down the things you do as you do
them on this template. Every time you change activities
note down the time of the change.
As well as recording activities, note how you feel, whether
alert, flat, tired, energetic, etc. Do this periodically
throughout the day.
Learning from Your Log
Once you have logged your time for a few days, analyze your
daily activity log. You may be alarmed to see the amount of
time you spend unproductively!
You may also see that you are energetic in some parts of
the day, and drained in other parts. A lot of this can
depend on the rest breaks you take, the times and amounts
you eat, and quality of your nutrition. The activity log
gives you some basis for experimenting with these
variables.
Your analysis should help you to free up extra time in your
day by applying one of the following actions to most
activities: