Time Management: Strategies to Help You Stay on Track

Learning how to manage your workload and maximize your time can help develop Critical Thinking. This is one of our three Signature Skills at APU.

Managing your time as a university student can sometimes feel overwhelming. Between coursework, work, family responsibilities, appointments, and everyday life, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to fit everything into your schedule.

The good news is that time management is a skill that can be learned and improved. Effective time management does not mean filling every minute of your day with tasks. Instead, it means understanding your responsibilities, identifying your priorities, and creating a system that helps you make steady progress.

There is no single time-management strategy that works for everyone. The goal is to find strategies that fit your schedule, responsibilities, and learning style. In this article you may find helpful strategies to take control of your time and manage being a university student with everyday life events.

Start by Putting Everything in One Place

One of the easiest ways to feel more organized is to stop relying on memory to keep track of everything you need to do. Choose one primary place to keep track of your responsibilities. This might be a digital calendar, planner, task-management app, or another system that works for you.

Consider tracking:

• Course assignment deadlines
• Exams and quizzes
• Work schedules
• Appointments
• Personal commitments
• Important reminders

Plan Your Week Before It Begins

Take a few minutes at the beginning of each week to help you understand what is coming and prevent deadlines from sneaking up on you.

Try to create a weekly planning routine:

• Review each of your courses.
• Look at upcoming assignments, quizzes, and exams.
• Estimate how much time you will need for your coursework.
• Schedule specific times to work on assignments.
• Identify days that may be especially busy.
• Leave some flexibility in your schedule for unexpected events.

You don't need to create a complicated schedule. Even a simple overview of your week can help you make more intentional decisions about how to use your time.

Break Large Assignments Into Smaller Steps

A large assignment can feel overwhelming when you think about everything that needs to be completed at once. Especially when you are trying to balance work, life, and school.

Instead of putting "Complete research paper" on your task list, break the assignment into smaller steps:

1. Choose a topic
2. Review the assignment instructions
3. Find sources
4. Read and take notes
5. Create an outline
6. Write a draft
7. Revise
8. Proofread
9. Submit the assignment

Breaking an assignment into smaller tasks makes it easier to identify where to begin and allows you to recognize your progress along the way.

Try asking yourself: What is the next step I need to take?

You don't have to finish the entire assignment in one day. Focus on the next manageable step.

Don't Just Track the Deadline, Plan When to Start

Knowing when an assignment is due is important, but knowing when you need to start is just as important. For example, instead of simply writing: Research paper due Sunday. It might be helpful to create a plan for how you will get started on the Research paper. For example, you may consider this:

• Tuesday: Choose topic and find sources
• Wednesday: Complete research
• Thursday: Create outline
• Friday: Write draft
• Saturday: Revise and proofread
• Sunday: Submit

Planning ahead gives you time to work through unexpected challenges and reduces the pressure of trying to complete an assignment at the last minute.

Use Timers and Reminders

Timers and reminders can help you stay aware of what you need to do and when you need to do it. Try using:

• Calendar notifications
• Pulse App notifications
• Phone reminders
• Alarms
• Visual timers
• Study timers
• Recurring reminders

You can use reminders for more than just deadlines. For example:

Reminder: "Start research paper at 7:00 p.m."

Timer: "Work on research paper for 30 minutes."

A reminder can help you remember to start, while a timer can help you stay aware of how long you have been working. Check out our Success Center article titled Learn About Assistive Technology to find different apps and software available that may help with time management.

Reduce Distractions Before You Begin

It can be difficult to focus when distractions are constantly competing for your attention. Before you begin working, take a few minutes to create an environment that supports your goals. You might:

• Silence unnecessary notifications.
• Put your phone away or turn on Do Not Disturb.
• Close unrelated browser tabs.
• Keep only the materials you need nearby.
• Use headphones or background noise if it helps you concentrate.
• Choose a study environment that works well for you.

The goal isn't to eliminate every distraction. Instead, look for ways to make it easier to focus on the task in front of you.

When Everything Feels Important, Prioritize

Sometimes your to-do list can feel overwhelming because everything seems important. When this happens, ask yourself:

• What is due first?
• Which task will take the longest?
• Which assignment has the greatest impact on my grade?
• Is there a task that I can complete quickly?
• Does another person need to respond before I can continue?
• What can wait until later?

You can also organize your tasks into three simple categories:

Must Do: Tasks that need your immediate attention.

Should Do: Important tasks that should be completed soon.

Could Do: Tasks that can wait if necessary.

Prioritizing allows you to focus your energy instead of trying to accomplish everything at once. You may find the tool Goblin Tools helpful. This is available on web browsers and as an app on your phone.

What Should You Do If You Fall Behind?

Almost every student falls behind at some point. When it happens, try not to spend all your energy worrying about everything that needs to be done. Instead, pause and create a plan.

You might start with these steps:

1. Assess the situation. Write down what you still need to complete.
2. Prioritize. Identify the most urgent tasks.
3. Be realistic. Determine what you can reasonably accomplish.
4. Break it down. Divide your most urgent task into smaller steps.
5. Ask for help when needed. Reach out to the appropriate university resource or your instructor if you need assistance.
6. Create a short-term plan. Focus on what needs to happen next.
7. Start. Choose one task and take the first step.

You don't need to solve everything at once. Focus on what you can do next. Don't forget that you don't have to manage everything on your own. University resources may be available to help you with academic planning, tutoring, research, study strategies, and other areas of student success.

If you have a diagnosed disability and struggle with time management, you may wish to contact the Disability Services Accommodation office at dsa@apus.edu to engage in an interactive process to determine if academic accommodations are appropriate for you.

A Quick Start: Five Things to Try This Week

Now let's put some of the information and strategies you may have learned into action. If time management feels overwhelming, start small. Try these five strategies:

• Write all of your upcoming deadlines in one place.
• Choose your three most important tasks for the week.
• Break one large assignment into smaller steps.
• Schedule specific times to work on those tasks.
• Set a reminder to begin. Not just a reminder for the deadline.

You don't have to completely change your routine overnight. Start with one strategy, see how it works, and make adjustments as needed. Effective time management is about finding a system that works for you. Not forcing yourself to use a system that doesn't work. Find the strategies that work for you, give yourself flexibility, and remember that small steps can lead to meaningful progress.