Time Management - Tumblr Posts
my brain: hey so i made u this 3D interactive map of time in ur head!
me: cool! so i should have really great time management and never be late?
brain: no. u procrastinate until the last minute and need like ten alarms to be on time for anything
me: ;-;
every morning i wake up and make the worst possible time management decisions anyone has ever made
duolingo > showering
every morning i wake up and make the worst possible time management decisions anyone has ever made
SCHOOL CHEAT SHEET!!
soothe yourself | self care
stationery
printables
helpful sites
music for studying | more music
note taking methods | another one
studying methods
english | physics | chemistry | biology | maths | languages
how to learn a language
ultimate guide for writing | writing resources | writing helps | tips for writers
how to write a kickass essay | write a great essay | stuff you need to write essays | essay tips | essay checklist | grade your essay
how do I study for…
bullet journals | a guide to bullet journals
the testing effect
everything you need to succeed in school
time management
organisation
how to annotate | another one
guide to aesthetically pleasing notes | improve your handwriting
create a study guide
resources | helpful websites | there’s an app for that
get more out of google
productivity resources | 14 apps to become productive | how to stay productive
lazy night owl school survival guide
apps for a better life | useful websites for students
masterpost of studying tips
social media citation guide
college masterpost | another one | starting college on the right foot | packing for college | how to survive in college
how to ace that college interview
food to stay motivated | motivation guide
how to stay awake in class
balancing a healthy lifestyle
studying on your period
huge masterpost for the semester
a very long list to help you survive school
not enough time to finish an assignment?
100 delicious cheap recipes
53 posts for students
high school cheat sheet
other cheat sheets
time blocking method
Hi all, this is werelivingarts, a new post about time management method: TIME BLOCKING! Time blocking allows you to divide your day into big blocks and helps you to complete similar tasks in one-go without any interruptions!
You can do your time blocking on:
Google Calendar (simple and easy to use)
Plan (drag your to-do list and organize them in blocks)
TickTick Premium (offer pomodoro timer)
Hope you find this helpful! ⭐️
‘eat the frog' method
Hi all, it’s werelivingarts. I just stumbled across this method called ‘eat the frog’, which means you get the most difficult or important task out of your way first. I actually have been using this method for a long time, hope this post gives you a new way of managing your time and productivity! 😜
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” – Mark Twain
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful day today! I know holidays are busy for a lot of people, but please try to set aside some time to do something you enjoy. Today is a day to be happy! =)
Me for the last 15 years: Starting a timer when you have to wait for something or stand in line can be helpful, because no matter how impatient you feel you can check the timer and remind yourself it has not been several eternities and has in fact only been five minutes.
Me setting a timer when I got to bag claim just now: I'm so clever! I will now be reminded that it's only been five minutes and bag claim usually takes about twenty!
Me looking at the timer thoughtfully: ...another Very Neurotypical Moment With Sam, it appears.
I would totally buy these for myself… and for a few other people I know too. Sadly, we gotta go about it the hard way and work for these things. Kind of an unintentional sequel to Things You Can’t Buy in Stores!
❥﹒♡﹒☕﹒ 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄
𝟭. set SMART goals ( 📒 )
make sure your goals are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-bound. this will help you maintain focus and track your progress over time. how many times has it been you and your unrealistic to-do list against the world? well, it seems that a mile-long to-do list is not a good ally at all. remember that you are a person and not a machine, and that just dedicating four hours to deep work and concentration is A LOT. be kind to yourself and don't overload yourself with more work than you can humanly do.
𝟮. daily planning ( 🧸 )
mea culpa because i'm the first one who doesn't plan their day. to-do lists generally stress me out and make me feel overwhelmed as if i don't manage to complete all the tasks an asteroid will end up hitting the earth. but i recognize that it is a good starting point. sometimes i have too many things to do and i end up doing nothing in total confusion, but having at least a general list to follow gives me more motivation. moreover do we want to talk about the dopamine released when you tick an empty box? marvelous. maybe don't write down tasks that are too onerous and demanding, break them into several smaller tasks, also try to write simple activities such as "drink a glass of water" every now and then. having these low-commitment activities will help you stay motivated while completing more important tasks.
𝟯. reverse-engineering method ( 🪴 )
start with the end goal and work backwards to plan the actions needed to achieve it. this helps you maintain clarity on the steps to take and focus on the most relevant actions. the best thing to do is plan based on the time available and do your best to stick to your daily goal.
𝟰. timer roulette ( ⏳ )
choose a task from your to-do list and set a random timer between 15 and 45 minutes. work on that task with all your concentration until the timer goes off. this helps you fight procastination and keep your mind fresh.
𝟱. mind mapping time ( 📍 )
before starting a study session, take a few minutes to create a mental map of the subject you need to cover. this helps you see connections between concepts and organize information more effectively.
𝟲. task batching ( 🫒 )
group similar tasks together and tackle them in batches. for example, reply to all emails in one session rather than doing so at scattered times throughout the day. this helps you reduce transition time between tasks and maintain focus. contrary to popular belief, human beings are not truly multitasking (only a few possess this great ability) and when we do multiple things together we do nothing but shift our attention from one task to another, greatly reducing the quality of our performance. if possible, try to avoid these switches that are harmful to your focus and concentration.
𝟳. the pomodoro method ( 🍅 )
okay, y'all probably already know this one because it became so popular in the last year but if you don't, the pomodoro method is a time management technique developed by francesco cirillo in the late 80s. it is based on the idea of working for short periods of time, usually 25 minutes, followed by a short 5 minute break. after four rounds of work, a longer break is taken, usually 15-30 minutes. this technique helps improve concentration and productivity, as it breaks down work into manageable tasks and offers regular breaks to rest and regenerate energy. i personally prefer the 50/10 ratio while i'm studying but you decide which time ratio is better for you, i find it really useful and it helps me a lot while i'm studying for my exams.
would also love to do this, I use notion a lot, and if there's any way I can help anyone to use it too. That'd be great.
A few things I use notion for
╰・language learning
╰・fitness
╰・work
╰・studying
╰・meal planning
╰・goal planning and tracking
For those who might not have the time to learn I have some free and paid templates on kofi. But of you're learning and need anything I'm happy to help.
love temi ❄️
i'm getting a lot of questions about notion setups these days so i'm gonna put a masterlist series together—what do you want to know about setting up an academic notion workspace?
reply to this or shoot me an ask, could be about my workspace, blocks, plugins, templates, you name it.
Thank you everyone for helping me reach the 300 followers milestone! As a gift, I’d like to present you with some of my tips :)
Recently, I met a group of very motivational people, and they gave me tips on how I could manage my time better. I obviously took notes and thanked them so much because it definitely helped me out a lot.
Note: These tips won’t apply to all people as it is mostly focused on junior students (I’m a junior, so it might not be as helpful for the students in uni/college??)
It is a common thing for all students to have struggles with organising their time (especially me– why am I giving tips; wtf??), so I present to you: how to sort out your time!!
What I’m going to cover:
Finding time to do work
How you can beat procrastination
Homework
Revision
Assignments + Exams
Be prepared, because this is an immense post. *Looks down* Yeah, it seems like I’m about to jump down a cliff made of tips.
Keep reading
If you can manage your time properly, you can have time for school, work, friends, and sleep – seems fake, right? But I promise! With the right planner and a little bit of discipline, you can be a social not-zombie with good grades (most days, at least – I’m not a miracle worker).
your planner, aka best friend
This is the most important piece of the puzzle (besides keeping up with it, of course.)
I prefer daily planners, so that you can have every hour of your day laid out.
Day Designer (my top pick) Bloom Target’s daily planners
Weekly planners work well if you don’t have many commitments. I prefer Moleskine for this if your schedules not too busy, or Day Designer’s line at Target has a bit more room.
You could also go the bullet journal route if you prefer!
Monthly planners/calendars are a good supplement to one of the above, but I would discourage you from using one on it’s own.
Once you have a planner, it’s no use unless you actually keep up with it. Enter in assignments as you get them. Enter both the due date, and the date you should start working on it. Give yourself more time than you need!
how to plan your day
I start every morning by checking my planner (okay, I actually check Instagram first). Look at what’s due soon, and make a quick to do list to start. Give yourself plenty of wiggle-room when you schedule, so that when things don’t go as planned it doesn’t send you into panic mode. You can either schedule your day hour for hour, or you can just make a general outline of what needs to get done that day. It all depends on your personality and how busy your schedule is; for me, some days are planned in detail and others I just have a simple to do list.
managing study time
The pomodoro technique is my favorite strategy for managing time while studying. If you’re not familiar with the method, you set a timer for 25 minutes and work; at the end of the 25 minutes you take a 5 minute break and then start again. It keeps me on track, but still reminds me to take a short break to stretch or get a snack. The chrome extension Strict Workflow is my favorite timer, because it cuts off access to distracting websites until your break.
Don’t waste your time staring at a blank Word doc! If you can’t seem to motivate yourself to do something, move onto a different project and try again later. You’ll feel motivated after knocking out an easy task and be able to write that paper even easier.
If you have a lot of projects to work on, like during finals week, know when you’re spending too much time on one thing and need to walk away. I’m a total perfectionist, so it’s easy for me to get caught up in making one thing perfect and run out of time to do the rest. Keep an eye on the clock and remember if you have more things to do.
managing your other responsibilities
This is where it gets hard – balancing school and work and friends and maybe even sleeping at some point in there. A few tips:
Your to do list isn’t just for projects: if you need to put “take a shower” on there for it to happen, do it.
Take some time before you go to bed to tidy up.
If it takes less than two minutes, do it when you see it.
Have a study free day: work ahead so that you can have one full day off to spend time with friends, get caught up on other things, etc.
Work ahead so that if something fun comes up, you won’t be stuck at home studying.
Don’t be afraid to say no. Sometimes you just can’t take on another responsibility, and that’s fine.
Go straight back to pre-K and give yourself a bedtime. Apple’s new bedtime feature will even give you an hour’s heads up, so you can start wrapping things up and get some sleep.
Once you get the hang of planning and sticking to it, you’ll be amazed by how much free time you actually have!
How to Handle Having TOO MUCH To Do
So let’s say you’re in the same boat I am (this is a running theme, have you noticed?) and you’ve just got, like, SO MUCH STUFF that HAS to get done YESTERDAY or you will DIE (or fail/get fired/mope). Everything needs to be done yesterday, you’re sick, and for whatever reason you are focusing on the least important stuff first. What to do!
Take a deep breath, because this is a boot camp in prioritization.
Make a 3 by 4 grid. Make it pretty big. The line above your top row goes like this: Due YESTERDAY - due TOMORROW - due LATER. Along the side, write: Takes 5 min - Takes 30 min - Takes hours - Takes DAYS.
Divide ALL your tasks into one of these squares, based on how much work you still have to do. A thank you note for a present you received two weeks ago? That takes 5 minutes and was due YESTERDAY. Put it in that square. A five page paper that’s due tomorrow? That takes an hour/hours, place it appropriately. Tomorrow’s speech you just need to rehearse? Half an hour, due TOMORROW. Do the same for ALL of your tasks
Your priority goes like this:
5 minutes due YESTERDAY
5 minutes due TOMORROW
Half-hour due YESTERDAY
Half-hour due TOMORROW
Hours due YESTERDAY
Hours due TOMORROW
5 minutes due LATER
Half-hour due LATER
Hours due LATER
DAYS due YESTERDAY
DAYS due TOMORROW
DAYS due LATER
At this point you just go down the list in each section. If something feels especially urgent, for whatever reason - a certain professor is hounding you, you’re especially worried about that speech, whatever - you can bump that up to the top of the entire list. However, going through the list like this is what I find most efficient.
Some people do like to save the 5 minute tasks for kind of a break between longer-running tasks. If that’s what you want to try, go for it! You’re the one studying here.
So that’s how to prioritize. Now, how to actually do shit? That’s where the 20/10 method comes in. It’s simple: do stuff like a stuff-doing FIEND for 20 minutes, then take a ten minute break and do whatever you want. Repeat ad infinitum. It’s how I’ve gotten through my to do list, concussed and everything.
You’ve got this. Get a drink and start - we can do our stuff together!
How to deal with procrastination
One of the biggest problems for students is procrastination! It takes different forms for everyone but ultimately it stops us all at some point. Since there are several reasons for procrastinating, I’ve put together the five main types and a few ideas on how to deal with it.
You’ve got poor work/productivity habits. You leave things until the last minute since you “work better under pressure”. You probably think you’ll do something after you’ve finished something else, and then never do. You get distracted whenever you’re trying to study and will sit waiting to feel motivated but it never comes. For this I’d suggest:
create a productivity inspiring workspace - find somewhere that you can set up a study space, whether it is an actual office or just a desk. Organise everything that you will need. I have a selection of pens and my few notebooks on the top so I can easily access them. Remove anything that might cause you to be distracted and doesn’t need to be in your immediate reach. If you’re got space, put up some motivational pictures. This could be my motivational printables, some quotes or your own pictures. Plants are also proven to boost productivity, so might be worth putting a small one nearby!
create an action list rather than to-dos - write down a few manageable tasks that you need to do and be specific on the steps you should take. Writing the actions they require will help you see what you should be doing to complete something, instead of just the overall task. If you’re able to break it down, you can take actionable steps rather than mentally having to think of each point.
focus on 20-30 minute periods - generally, we lose focus after a while so taking regular breaks can help give you chance to relax and refocus. Apps like Forest allow you to set a timer and will give you off your phone at the same time. Obviously, if you’re being productive, don’t suddenly cut that off because it is “time for a break”. Here are some other free alternatives.
remove distractions as best you can - I’m always distracted by social media so I will use Forest on my phone or time-lapse myself so I can’t use my phone. With my MacBook, I have two accounts. One for university and one for everything else. I am not logged into any social media on my uni account so I can’t just check it for a minute then end up wasting 20 minutes :’-)
find an accountability partner - pick someone who you can rely on to check on you regularly and see how your tasks are coming along. You can send them your to-do list and then every few hours you can update them with your progress. You won’t want to let them down. Alternatively, you can study with a friend! Tumblr/Instagram is basically my partner!
use the two-minute rule - if something takes less than two minutes, do it. Don’t make an excuse, just do it. Tasks that are longer you can either delegate or defer. Here is a simple visualisation of what I mean.
record your progress - doing a simple “don’t break the chain” in your planner is a great way to see how productive you’re being and therefore get you more motivated to keep it up! The ‘100 days of productivity’ challenge might be worth doing!
You’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Everything seems to be mounting up and nothing seems doable. You don’t know where or how to start. For this I’d suggest:
ask for help - if you’re feeling like this, it is likely you need some help in some form or another. See if a family member, friend, classmate or teacher (or Google) can help or give you a starting point. Emailing your teacher is a great option if you’re a little nervous about speaking to them in person. Plus you won’t forget what they told you because you’ll have a response.
remind yourself that getting started is the first step - you don’t need to finish a task in a matter of minutes. Start doing something small. Maybe organise what you need, highlight the important bits of your assessment, or draft an essay plan. The secret to getting ahead is getting started!
divide and conquer - figure out what is the overall task that you need to do and split it into manageable parts. For instance, with an essay, the aim is to write it! Divide it into planning out what you want to write, any references you need, summarising a final draft and then writing each paragraph. By dividing bigger tasks into actionable parts you can reduce the obstacles and get through each part in a more timely manner.
reward yourself - create a system to celebrate completing a selection of tasks. By rewarding your progress you’ll build an incentive to work and reinforce productivity (great for your self-discipline!).
learn to forgive yourself - if you have an off day, that is okay! When the stress of your education is getting too much, it is necessary to have time out. Remember to come back to it later and try again.
don’t over schedule - if you’re feeling pressure from the amount of work and then the added pressure of trying to stick to a time limit, you’re just going to go crazy. Set yourself flexible times to get something done instead of being heavily structured. Give yourself time for a break and the ability to change tasks.
stick with one task - it can be so tempting to multitask but try not to. Try to keep the focus on the what you’re doing until it is done. If you struggle with that, you could write down anything useful that you randomly think about for another task, use a break-time to think about that other task or alternate between subjects/tasks every few hours.
You’re a perfectionist. You either don’t want to start something out of fear you won’t get it right or you can get stuck on the small details. There is a pressure to achieve the unachievable. For this I’d suggest:
focus on getting started, instead of finishing - it is easy to get overwhelmed thinking about what something is supposed to be like finished if you’re a perfectionist. Take things one step at a time. It’s also useful to remember the sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to perfect it at the end!
make drafts - if you’re overwhelmed, take half an hour to map out your plan of attack. Drafts can take many forms: summaries, scaffolds/outlines, essay plans, post-it notes, etc. I find it much easier to get on with work if I have a bit of a plan.
remember that your perfectionist tendencies aren’t actually improving your work or productivity but hindering you - you’re continually setting yourself unrealistic objects and (like me) probably feel let down by yourself if you don’t reach them. Be realistic and focus on getting it done!
accept mistakes - you’ve written something wrong, don’t panic! Cross it out with a single line and move on. Things happen and you have to accept it. You can’t rip up the page every time you do something wrong, even if it is so tempting.
put things in perspective - is what you’re beating yourself up about right now going to mean anything in a week, a month, a year? Be honest if it isn’t, is it really worth putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.
praise yourself through the process - try not to criticise yourself but recognise your progress.
don’t compare yourself - this is very hard not to do but remember we are all different. Just because “you’re not as good” or don’t understand something as easily as others, it doesn’t mean you’re any less! Everyone was a beginner once and we all learn at different paces. Work to your strengths!
You want to do something else. You find whatever you’re doing boring. You want it to be over with but don’t want to get started. The ultimate catch 22, right? For this I’d suggest:
remember that putting it off isn’t going to make it go away - if you leave it too long you’ll end up getting more stressed about it. Best to get it over with.
make a plan from the get-go - once you know something is coming up (e.g. a test, an assessment, etc) make notes on it! That could be questions, annotations, potential topics, citations, etc. By making the effort to spend time reading through, you’ll save your future self some stress. Especially if it’s a topic you have forgotten. That way your notes act as a reminder so you can get started.
set a finish time with a reward - tell yourself that if you finish something by a certain time and then you can do something else. Use your self-discipline to not go back on this. Set a realistic time and try to get it complete before. If you can think that you’re doing something fun once it is completed, you’ll be more motivated to get it done.
make a structure - for note-taking, it can be overwhelming looking at a textbook and thinking what you’re going to write out. Make a note-taking layout/colour code that works for you and that subject. Mine is here - it just gives me an idea of how I’d lay everything instead of going in with no action plan.
try to make it fun - this could be using YouTube to learn or starting a study group. Use different methods for memorising information such as flashcards, mindmaps or study guides (like question/answer).
make the effort to refocus - if you’re finding something boring and you’re unfocused, walk away for 5 minutes, get a drink and come back. If you’re really struggling, change topics for a while. Find a point where you can finish and start doing something else that is productive.
listen to some music - generally, music without lyrics are best for focusing. Spotify has a great playlist for studying called ‘focus’. However, I find my regular music good for getting me a little more motivated and awake. I also like writing essays to music because I weirdly sort of type in the same rhythm. Funny study hack I’ve found that works for me haha!
write your thoughts down - Another thing I’ve been trying is externalising my thoughts. If I get distracted by something or have a “gosh, I need to remember that” moment, I will write it down. By getting it out my brain and onto a bit of paper, I no longer have to think about it and can continue.
You have no motivation. Often we feel that motivation is the only thing you need to get on with something, but this isn’t totally true. You need a mix of motivation and discipline. As the saying goes: “motivation may get you started, but discipline keeps you going”. To build your motivation, I’d suggest:
have a mass organise - usually when I’m feeling unmotivated, I’ll clear out my desk and sort out my computer. This involves throwing out stationery that doesn’t work or scrap paper. I usually make piles of spare stationery and will re-organise my desk drawers. For my computer, I will pull out all my files to my desktop then start working through them. I’ll delete duplicates, rename files properly, and put them in the right place.
find some new stationery - weirdly buying stationery is one of those things that instantly makes you want to be productive. Head to the shops and spend a little something on a new pen, highlighter or notebook!
film yourself - studying generally doesn’t give us any instant gratification which can make it feel like a drag. By filming yourself working you can get a little video at the end which shows your progress. I love watching time-lapses of myself because you see all the work you did super quickly. It also means I’m not touching my phone!
set yourself some goals - write down a few things you want to achieve, in the short or long term. Put it somewhere that you’ll be reminded about it! By externalising your goals, you’re more likely to make the effort to achieve it.
check/make a studygram and studyblr - this is one of most motivating this I’ve done. Having social media dedicated to studying has helped not only improve my work ethic but my whole attitude towards education. Getting involved in the community is a great motivator. Here is a post on how to set up a studyblr.
I hope this post gives you just a few ideas on how to tackle procrastination! If you’ve got any tips you’d like to share, please message me! x
Other posts | Printables | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest
My first printable is up! It’s not very pretty, but it’s what I’m going to use to prepare for my exams in October/November, and I hope it helps you all! I haven’t seen any printables with spiraldexes, so I thought I’d put them in because they’re amazing for time management, and they look so gorgeous once they’re all done [plus who doesn’t love colour coding] !
Just click on the photo and save it! Please credit me for your use :)
Continued from my guide to Bullet Journals
Chrono/spiraldexes are essentially a clock. I hope the gif helps you out.
Actual chrono/spiraldexes have smaller indentations for minutes.
RESOURCES Original Chronodex: A4 template journal (tutorial!) Spiraldex : A4 A5 Chronodex 1: A4 template tutorial
I personally don’t use these anymore but I found the Chronodex the easiest to understand. Most people print out templates on sticker paper or glue them down. Some even have rubber stamps but can fetch quite a price.