I used to be a great planner. Really.
At the age of 5, my mom made little schedules of all the things I had to do (chores, schoolwork, playtime, reading, bathing, napping, etc.) and pinned it to my dresser. I had a very good understanding of the purpose of that paper but didn’t know the practical essence of it.
I knew that somehow my daily activities were made better by using the plan that my mom made, but I didn’t know that I was somehow responsible for DOING those activities. And so, I became a planning ninja. No joke.
I became obsessed with the process. And I took pride in it. The straight, parallel lines, the congruent time chunks, the corresponding activity descriptions…all made my 7-year-old, INTJ self swell with satisfaction.
I spent more time planning, designing, thinking, mentally creating, and not enough time DOING. And guess what happened? I didn’t manage my time properly. Very paradoxical. Very disheartening.
I dreamt, I thought, I planned. I did not do. I was an impractical perfectionist; an inflated balloon that will eventually deflate with the prick of a pin.
Time management, I later realized, is not a dreary, floaty concept. It’s all present tense; all verbs. It is how you use this moment right now. Not how you plan for the next.
I know that even if I outgrew such a trap, many people have not. Nothing is wrong with that. You just need to realize that it’s a trap and get out of it ASAP.
And how do I get out of it?
Well, my biggest advice is to stop trying to do everything. Don’t try to implement every tip in this article at once. Don’t try to plan everything down to a science.
I urge you, instead, to roll up your sleeves, choose one thing you can work on right now, and go to work.
That said, here are all my ideas and favorite techniques. Choose whichever suits your life the most and drop the rest.
1. Prioritize
Don’t spend time on things that don’t matter. Don’t even spend time on things that matter just a little bit because you know what? They don’t matter.
You need to focus. You need to evaluate what it is you’re are trying to do or be. Everything else is just fluff. Time is limited and energy is limited. You can only exist once. Not in a “YOLO” kind of way, but in a this-is-serious-business-so-focus-before-it’s-over kind of way.
Be clear about who you are and what you are attempting to do. Then, choose only the activities that will serve you in those two ways. Spend the majority of your time on the things that will contribute the most to your purpose and aims.
2. Organize
Living in chaos is time-consuming. If you want to spend time on the things that matter and be productive, then you can’t afford to waste valuable time on all the inconveniences that come with disorder and clutter.
Sort everything out, get rid of the things that cease to be of value, and maintain some level of structure. This applies to your personal life, as well as your academic life. Forget all that nonsense about “creatives flourish best in chaos.” Creativity can certainly flourish in order.
3. Time Block
A 40 hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure.
Cal Newport, Deep Work
Time blocking is a time management method that requires you to divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is then dedicated to accomplishing a specific task.
So, instead of just making a big to-do list of random, open-ended tasks, you’ll have a more concrete schedule that visually lays out what you’ll do and when.
4. Time Batch
This is the cousin of Time blocking. It is essentially grouping the time blocks of similar activities into one bigger time block.
How is that productive?
By tackling similar tasks in one group, you’ll limit the amount of time you need to use transitioning between tasks of different natures throughout the day.
For instance, yesterday I had a dentist appointment. Since I already had to get dressed, get in the car, and drive to the dentist’s office, I might as well pick up those groceries along the way, deposit that check I’ve been holding onto for a while, and buy that gift for my friend’s birthday in a few days.
Instead of just going to the dentist and then coming back empty-handed, I could have done multiple other necessary tasks along the way, without having to switch from “errand mode” and waste time.
Most of us live in cities and towns where this kind of time batching is so common. People run multiple errands all the time. The dentist office is right next to the bank, which is next to the grocery store, which is next to the retail store.
But time batching is also possible for tasks of a different nature: If I need to write a speech for an event or competition that will happen in a few days, then you best believe that I’ll also write that AP Literature essay that is due in two weeks.
Why?
Because I’m already in “writing mode” and the creative juices are already flowing. So, I’ll take advantage of the momentum and not disturb it by moving on to another task that might be more urgent but not relevant.
5. Stop Multitasking
You don’t necessarily get more done the more you do. Multitasking is a myth. Anyone who has studied the brain knows that. What happens when a person tries to “multitask” is that the brain switches between multiple tasks in rapid succession. It doesn’t do all of them simultaneously.
That means: when you are doing one thing, you are implicitly not doing the other, and vice versa. So, you end up with tiny spliced intervals of work, no work, work, no work…as you alternate between the tasks.
Consistent, focused effort goes a longer way than sporadic, interrupted work.
Who are you kidding?
You can’t watch Jurassic World AND take notes on the role of brain organoids in neurodegenerative diseases at the same time. You can either pay attention to the scenes of the show or digest the information you’re reading. You don’t get to enjoy the show AND understand the material. Sorry. Life is unfair. Suck it up.
6. N.E.T
Although, multitasking doesn’t improve productivity, its relative, N.E.T, does.
N.E.T. stands for “No Extra Time,” referring to the net time remaining after incorporating one task into another. No extra time is spent trying to do one task because you achieve it in the same block of time of another.
For instance, I need to read a book for AP Language, but I don’t have the time to sit down and actually read. N.E.T. allows me to listen to the audio version of the book while I do daily chores or go on long walks for exercise (which are both just as essential as the reading).
Wait- isn’t this multitasking?
No, it’s not. Multitasking doesn’t work only when you try to use the same parts of the brain for different tasks simultaneously. However, you could multitask using two different parts of the brain.
This works very well for pairing autopilot tasks with cognitive tasks. NOT cognitive with cognitive or autopilot with autopilot. This means that you can watch Jurassic World while you fold the laundry or brush your teeth, not when you are studying.
It also means that you can understand the class curriculum while walking, getting dressed, and organizing your closet. What a relief. The world is fair, after all.
7. Set Reminders
Don’t expect yourself to remember everything. Even if you plan and time-block a task, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will do it.
Use the power of reminders and notices to your advantage. If that means writing everything down in a planner and looking at the planner every hour so that you don’t forget, then, by all means, do that.
If it means using some kind of app to sing a song every time you need to take out the trash, then do that.
Reminders, whether in human form or technology, are a godsend. To maximize your time, you can’t afford to forget important things that you have to do.
However, you don’t have to pressure your already-dense memory to remember more. You can rely on a system of reminders to help you.
8. Minimize Deadlines
Parkinson’s Law is your best friend for time management as a student. It states that “work expands to fill the time allotted to it,” which just means that the amount of work required usually adjusts to fill the time you have devoted to its completion.
So, if you have a project due for AP Human Geography in about three weeks, and you decide to turn it in on the day of the deadline, that project will take you all three weeks to get done.
However, if you have the same exact project with the same exact deadline, but you make up your mind that you will only spend one week working on the project and then turn it in early, then it will take you that one week to get it done.
The time you allot to any task is almost always the time it takes you to complete it. No matter how big or small the task is, the work required to complete it usually expands or contracts to fill the time you have designated.
Therefore, decrease the time you spend on tasks by minimizing the deadlines. Give yourself only three days to do it instead of five, and you will actually do it in just three days and be done with it!
9. Delegate
I am the first to admit that many people do certain things better than I do. And I’m the better for it. Because that means I can utilize the gifts of others in order to focus on my own gifts.
What does that mean?
It means not being arrogant and stubborn and trying to do everything on your own. Be wise enough to know when someone is more talented or capable in a certain area and allow them to help you and do things for you.
Entrust others who are more capable with tasks that might take you a longer time or more energy, simply because you are less qualified. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
“Give the bread dough to the baker” and don’t try to toy with it on your own or you’ll make a mess of yourself and have nothing for lunch.
10. Automate
There is so much stress and time-wasting you can avoid by automating certain tasks. We are very blessed to be living in a time period where such a concept is even possible.
For example, most emails can be automated, and most social media platforms publish their services through automation, including this very post, news websites, and various apps.
How would that better manage my time?
Well, automating means that you get to do the task at your convenience and not worry about trying to set apart a different block of time to ensure its release. Most workplaces function off of an automation-based system.
A great friend of mine is a 5th-grade teacher (and a time-management wizard). She uses Google Classroom for her students, especially now during remote learning. Here’s what she does: every weekend, she plans all the assignments, lessons, and recordings for each day of the upcoming week and automates them to be released on their given day for her students.
*Notice that this makes use of not only automating, but organizing, time-batching, minimizing deadlines, and N.E.T. Often, if you implement one tip, you’ll find yourself making use of others along the way.
I think it’s genius if you ask me. She doesn’t work on lesson plans, filming recordings, or posting assignments during the week because all of that is already taken care of and will be released to her students at the right time. Rather, she can spend that time working directly with students, grading their work, and doing the non-technical part of her job that she actually enjoys.
Bonus Tip
Sometimes what students lack isn’t the techniques and skills that were just listed. Sometimes what they really lack is character. Sometimes young people (and all people in general) are swayed by propaganda, trends, and other people.
That often means adding unnecessary responsibilities, activities, and obligations to one’s life that you don’t really care about or strive to improve. You just do it for other motives, such as being liked, admired, fitting in, and not disappointing others.
That’s when I tell you, forget about all these tips and go get some thick skin. Sometimes, you have to say “no.” Learn to say it. N-O. No.
You are not being a jerk, you are not being selfish, and you are not being disrespectful. You are prioritizing based on a hierarchy that only YOU have the right to create.