With the start of the academic year looming, and the horror of being in my third (and final) year of university well on it's way, I thought I better take a look at my schedule to see if I am making the most of my time. Although I am quite good at procrastinating, I try to make sure that I make the best use of my time - creating schedules that allow for plenty of time to binge watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix.
To do lists // To do lists are one of my favourite ways to make sure I'm being productive enough. I tend to make them most days, but if I have a strict deadline I step them up a notch by adding time limits for each task on the list. By doing this, it helps stop you running behind schedule, so you can move on and come back to less important tasks when you have a bit more time. Adding time guidelines enables you to make full use of your day, so when you have a spare moment you can see whether or not you have the time to complete something of your list.
Diary // Although not everyone likes to use a physical diary, I couldn't live without mine! I've tried using iCal and Google calendar, but I always end up reverting to my trusty planner. I use the Busy B academic diary (which I have spoken about here), and I wouldn't be without it!
Set aside time to plan your week // I like to spend my Sunday mornings laying out and planning the upcoming week. It helps me remember appointments and deadlines so I don't end up missing things. As this post goes up, I will most likely be sat in bed with my week planner, my calendar, and my diary seeing what I have to do up to next Sunday!
Prioritise // There are only 1440 minutes in each day, so make sure you prioritise the most time sensitive tasks to make sure you get them done. Take blogging for example, don't write a blog post due next months, when you haven't finished tomorrow's - it's just common sense isn't it really!
Stay focused // The second you get distracted it the second your day's work will probably grind to a hault. So make an effort to move any unnecessary items out of the way so you aren't tempted to give them your undivided attention. My personal distraction are my phone and the internet. Although some tasks require the use of the internet, I try and make sure that I don't end up scrolling through ASOS for 3 hours at a time by adding internet filters - blocking me from mindlessly checking Facebook and the likes until I turn them off.
Slow down // Although this may seem counter-intuitive, it is extremely important when doing a major task like an assignment, or an application etc. By slowing down and not rushing, you minimise the chances of making silly little mistakes - which in the grand scheme of things makes tasks quicker as you don't have to spend time correcting a tonne of mistakes!
How do you make the most of your time?
