Two Time Management Strategies for Exam Time and Beyond

It’s just about exam time at my college again, and everyone seems to have more work than can possibly fit into each day. About a year ago I posted advice about organizing your schedule along with tips for responsible smartphone use. Today, I’d like to suggest two broad strategies for maximizing your efficiency during this always-stressful period.

1.  Get everything done as soon as possible

Lots of tasks fall into this category because you know you must do certain things sooner or later, even if you think you “need” to watch just one more episode of Orange is the New Black or engage in some other form of escapism. For example, you might have to complete multiple assignments that involve research, writing and revision or prepare chapter notes for your study group. This kind of work doesn’t get easier if you put it off until later. You will only have more time pressure the longer you wait to get started. Of course your life outside of school won’t conveniently be placed on hold, so clear your schedule (to the extent possible) so you won’t be stressed out if you have to deal with unanticipated events. Maybe you can’t refuse some unexpected overtime at work (because you have to pay for college!), or perhaps an old friend whom you’d love to catch up with will only be in town briefly smack in the middle of your busiest time in weeks. Be honest with yourself about how well you’re following through with your priorities because you may find that you actually have more control over your time than you previously imagined.

2.  Assign specific tasks to defined blocks of time

Some things don’t lend themselves well to the as-soon-as-possible method. When you study a complicated discipline like law, you could convincingly argue that you can never be completely done studying a topic because there’s always more to learn. Set aside specific blocks of time to ensure you study adequately for each of your exams. You may even want to reserve some unassigned time in case something turns out to be more tricky than you first judged. It’s important to take into consideration how much “brain power” you need to do these things and what your environment will be like. If I needed to edit a long essay, I’d prefer to do this early on during the day while my eyes are fresh, not right before going to sleep at night. Although it could sound counterintuitive, some people do their best studying during precious distraction-free hours late at night or early in the morning (while their kids and/or SOs are asleep). In contrast, when things are hectic you can still be productive by working on a low-brain-intensity task such as updating your to-do list. You might try allocating specific times of the day to catch up on routine tasks like replying to emails and text messages because being constantly interrupted during the day surely takes a toll on your productivity. (In some professional contexts you might always be expected to reply to your email asap, but I’m happy if my students respond to me by the end of the following business day.) Keep in mind that scheduling is just a way of making your intentions feel more concrete. You can always change your schedule as needed, but you will likely get more done with a plan than without one.

Photo by Chris Preen (CC-BY)