Are you starting university soon? Are you worried about how you are going to make the transition from a school timetable to a university one, where you’re expected to be a lot more independent?
The fact that you’re thinking about it already suggests that you’ll be great at planning your own time!
Here are some tips on how to manage your time at uni:
Make sure that you have a diary or planner - this can be online, on a phone, or a paper one. It’s important that you have everything in one place, but it’s up to you where that is!
Make to-do lists. Generally, write things which have more urgent deadlines at the top of the list, so that you are prioritising tasks. That way, you’ll be less tempted to procrastinate larger or more urgent tasks by doing other ones!
Find things to structure your day. Often, university classes and lectures help to provide some structure, but you might find that planning an exercise class or a trip to the gym provides a similar sense of structure. Alternatively, planning in time to meet people or have meals is another way of going about it.
Plan in time to relax or rest. Putting time off into your planner means that you’ll try and get work done so that you’re not encroaching in your downtime! It also works as a commitment to yourself, so that when you have time off without anything planned for the time, you’ll still want to take it. Otherwise, it can be tempting to keep on working despite being tired or run down - not ideal!
You might find that it takes you a while to get into a routine, but that’s completely okay. Time management takes practice, but it is something that people can get better at.
Ellen Brewster is a DPhil (PhD) student at the University of Oxford). You can find her at @_ellenbrewster on Instagram and Twitter.