The Key to Success at University

Are you a university student struggling to get all you work done?

Do you feel like you don’t ever have enough time?

Do you believe you could be doing great at university but there is too much work to do?

Loads of lectures to catch up on?

Let me tell you something, I got the key to success at university!

And I found out about it the hard way, just like you, I was an university student as well and initially I was struggling and I went through the exact same struggles that you may be dealing with right now. At some point it felt like uni was starting to become an obstacle and a pain in my back to get all the assignments and coursework done in due time.

Maybe some of you work part-time while studying full-time and for those of you who do, you know the pain, and you know how much less time you have to dedicate to your studies.

I know all of that, I myself studied full-time and worked part-time in order to sustain myself, and I know how it feels to not have enough time. But then again, that’s just how it feels, it’s not quite like that.

The key to success at university: Time Management

I know how it sounds, yes it sounds simple, maybe obvious but let’s be real, the real issue was never lack of time, it was lack of time management.

Yes, you may have less time, and maybe you’re tight and restricted on time, but it’s not really about how much time you have, it’s about how well you make use of the time you have.

What inspired me to write this is exactly what I felt when I first started university, it feels like a race with lots of obstacles instead of feeling like a marathon with lots obstacles, and trust me, that does make a difference.

Luckily for you, I’m going to share how you can make sure you can do well in your studies while still keeping a healthy balance between work-life and study-life and still manage to get time for yourself.

1) Plan the day of tomorrow, today.

Sounds simple, and sometimes we rely on our own memory to quickly go through this just as a reminder. But, if you want results you need to grab simplicity and make use of it. Grab a pen and paper today, and make a timetable for tomorrow, or perhaps consider using your Outlook calendar or any other electronic method that allows you to plan a timetable. In that timetable you should write down the timings of what you know for sure you will be doing or having (such as lectures for example).

After that, look at the gaps in your timetable and think of what use you want to give it. If you have assignments and coursework to do, it would be wise to get them out of your way as soon as possible (trust me on this, I speak by experience). Most of us love procrastinating, but at university that could be dangerous and it will only make our lives harder as well.

So map out how much time you are going to dedicate on finishing assignments, essays, coursework, and then maybe plan how much time you want to dedicate studying your modules. And if you do any sports or gym or anything extra-curricular, it would be helpful to map out at what times and until what times you will be doing all of this.

Also, make sure you draw a limit as to what is the latest you should be up until before you go to sleep, always make sure you get the appropriate amount of sleep. And given that limit, you can at least have an idea that you have until that specific time to do everything you have for the day. And after that, look at the time gaps you’re left with and think of whatever you want to do for yourself, yes that time is for you, whether it is used for a nap, resting, playing video games, doing some research, reading a book… whatever it is, that is your time!

If you manage to do this timetable without overlaps and also always taking in consideration the time it takes you to get ready to go somewhere and the time it takes you to reach that somewhere, then you will have successfully made a good timetable.

Now, as a piece of advice, plan as much ahead of time as you can. If you can plan a timetable for tomorrow, maybe think if you can do it for 2 days in advance, or maybe 3 days in advance or maybe plan your entire week in advance? All of this depends on you, if you have any sort of uncertainty, then don’t plan too ahead, but if you can, plan as much ahead of time as you can. If you can only plan for the following day on the previous day that’s just as fine, as long as you stick with that routine of planning your following days without skipping any.

2) Respect the plan

So now that you’ve made a timetable, you know exactly when you’re at lectures, when you’re studying, when you’re finishing coursework, when you’re at work, when you’re at gym or doing sports and most importantly, when you have that free time just for yourself. So what’s next?

The beauty of making a plan is that if you follow it through, you get to see results, good results. That doesn’t mean that from time to time your plan won’t change because of unexpected situations happening, that’s normal, that’s life and you adjust to it.

But let me tell you something, there is nothing more foolish than you making a plan and not respecting it by not following it at all.

If you’ve made a timetable for tomorrow, that means tomorrow you know exactly where you’re going to be and at what times you’re going to be. You’ve gone through the process of knowing accurately where you need to be and when.

So now that you know all of that, stick with your plan, make it a reality by following it thoroughly.

3) Don’t let a setback, set you back

Often things don’t go the way we plan it to. And that’s okay! Maybe a doctor’s appointment just happened to overlap with something else you had planned for that particular day, or maybe your coursework is taking longer to finish than what you expected and now you’ve got to change things.

But see, that’s fine, you need to adjust yourself, life will bring up unexpected situations and it’s the way you deal with it and the way you fit it in your schedule that makes things work the right way. Adjust and adapt!

So never let a setback, set you back. Because if you do, time will become an enemy instead of an ally.

4) Cherish the plan

So now things are going well, you’ve made a timetable for the next few days, you respect the timetable, you do not let the setbacks be an issue as you immediately have the ability to simply readjust it and fit it in your schedule. So cherish the plan, be thankful that things are going well and that you are making the effort for it to go well, learn to appreciate your achievements.

And now it seems like you’re more organised and it appears that you are giving a much smarter use to the time you have. That is what time management is all about, it is all about managing your time. Remember, at university, working hard pays off, but don’t just work hard, also work smart. Be wise, be clever, be sharp, work hard and smart and results will be delivered at your door.

All of what I just said in this article can also refer to the way we manage life!

Time Management isn’t just a good skill you need for university or school, it is also a good skill to have at work, and better said, it is a good skill for life.