The start of “third year” was exhausting for many of us, and now that we are halfway through, I’m sure most of us have accepted and adjusted according to the academic requirements. And yet, in this juggling we all go through, I want to remind you to tap into your hobbies to feel refreshed and re-energized. We all need to find a way to tap into our sources of energy through art, hikes, or whatever makes us happy, but to do that, we need to improve our time management skills. So here are the top five tips I’ve learned from my friends (now that we’re back on campus)/from personal experience – for time management!
Don’t overestimate your work capacity – be realistic!
Although it seems like an obvious point, we often have the impression that in a given period of three hours, for example, we can finish reading the additional elements and the notes on the subject, but in reality it can take six hours (because you too have to process it properly before taking any form of sensible notes!) So remember to overestimate your work capacity and don’t underestimate the schedule!
Don’t try to eat an elephant (a hobby trick), and set yourself a fixed amount of time that you don’t have to work!
Some hobbies require you to spend a lot of time in a row while others are easier to spread out – or do they? Sometimes you want to believe that this painting I’m trying to do will require a section to work on in one sitting, for example – but the truth is that sub-categorizing a big chuck of the section can still allow you to progress with the hobby – just one piece a day! So remember not to say that I don’t have time to recharge/enjoy my hobby; do it in stages spread over the week!
Interact with people around you who seem motivated and driven!
The best way to find a good time management strategy for a specific module is to interact with the people you see around you who have drive! They might have a trick that might work for you, and sometimes their energy might get you motivated too!
Don’t dive too deep!
Sometimes certain topics interest us and push us to try to find out more but reserve another time slot for it instead of adding it to your current course – otherwise you risk procrastinating for other modules!
And on that note of not going overboard, I hope these reminders (perhaps more than tips) for time management give you some time to enjoy your hobbies or just “time to me” ! Thanks for the reading! Best wishes for the rest of the semester!!