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Time Management and Organization

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Time Management and Organization

Hands on Help

If you would like to schedule a one-on-one time management/academic success strategy session with a SOAR Academic Success Strategist, you can do so by emailing SOAR@dickinson.edu and providing at least three options of when you would be available for a one-hour meeting.

Below you'll find our most sought-after time management resources, apps, videos, guidance and tips.  You can also find much of this information in the OWLL (Old West Lower Level), so stop by and see what else we have to offer.

 


Weekly Planners, Semester Calendar, and Grade Tracker

Need some Dickinson specifc planners, calenders and other time management support?  Click below to find to resources that will help you in your studies here at Dickinson.

Digital Suggestions:

Whether physical or digital, using planning tools to plan your days and weeks is critical to a successful semester. There are a number of tools on this page that can help you in managing your time effectively. You can also use Apple's iCal, a Google Calendar, or -- very conveniently -- the calendar that's built into Outlook through Office 365 (when you're in your email, just click the icon of the calendar to switch to it). All of these digital calendars enable you to enter and keep track of any work that needs to be completed, so that you can then create daily task lists of what you need to accomplish each time.

After entering your scheduled classes, designate times when you'll work on each class, as well as other commitments and times to exercise and de-stress. You can always revise your plans, but better to create a daily study schedule than to be unsure of "what to do when" or "when to work on what." It's a good idea to allocate time every Saturday or Sunday to enter what, specifically, you'll need to do that week (e.g. "write introduction to reflections paper," read pages 50-75 of x," review notes to prepare for Friday's ___ exam," etc.)

It's also important to use your class syllabi to enter all of your test dates, presentations, and assignment due dates. From there you can create reminders to make sure that no test or due date "creeps up on you." 


Reduce Distractions

Reduce Distractions

Ever find yourself sucked into social media or a rabbit hole of videos when you've got work you should be doing? Help is here! The tools below will help you improve focus, minimize distractions, and create good tand create good time-saving habits.


More Support for Time Management and Organization

A few more suggestions are below to help you with Time Management and Organization. You can also find support for study skills and test taking strategies as well as notetaking and memory strategies. Finally, you find resources from other campus partners if you click back to our home page!


Time Management and Anti-Procrastination Tips

Suggestions from the OWLL

An App that Helps

  • Focus To-Do: Pomodoro Timer & To Do List (Free version for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android), this app uses the highly acclaimed "Pomodoro Technique" of maximizing productivity by breaking large assignments down into smaller using timers to focus for 25 minutes, then taking a 5-minute break. 

Take it from the Pros

Take about 10 minutes and watch this really useful and encouraging video with 10 Time Management Tips. You'll be glad you did. 


Get Enough Sleep

LACK OF SLEEP = FORGETTING WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED

If you believe that it’s a good idea to stay up all night before a test to cram as much into your brain as you can, think again! Here are the most important things to remember about sleep:

  • It’s critical that you get enough sleep after learning to activate the “save” button on what you’ve learned so that you can recall it later.
  • You also need adequate sleep before learning so your brain is primed to soak up and commit to memory what you take in.
  • Sleep is your body’s life support system, and it’ll function best if you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
  • Put down any electronics at least an hour before bedtime, since blue light interrupts your brain’s ability to “turn off” for the night. (Read a  book instead.)
  • Plan for what time you’ll go to bed and ask others to help you to do just that.
  • Most of this information is reinforced in the first 5 minutes of this TED Talk: Sleep is your superpower.

Find Quiet Study Spaces Outside of Your Bedroom

If you study in your room, you won't have a separate space to go when you've finished studying. It's helpful to leave your room and go to a space where you won't be tempted by the distractions in your room (or outside your door). Your brain will associate your room as the place where you sleep, socialize, play games, so keep it that way and do your studying in a quiet room in the library or a classroom that no one else is using.


Schedule Breaks

Don’t get trapped in one task for too long. It's important to plan breaks to exercise, eat, stretch, and even to engage in activities in which you aren’t looking at a screen. Then move on to the next thing waiting on your to-do list. Schedule breaks as you would a meeting or class, and maybe set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take them. Maybe consider relocating to a different room for your next academic task. A change of scenery is good for the brain and the body. Save checking Instagram and those comedy videos until an evening reward for when your "day of work" is done. 


Maximize Your Academic Resources

You can also get help with writing support from the Writing Center, math-related support from the Quantitative Reasoning Center, and request peer tutoring or advising support from Advising, Internship, and Career Center.


Exercise Good Self-Care

See the Social, Emotional, and Mental Wellness page for tips on caring for yourself and others, as well as links to other important wellness related resources on campus.


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