How to Get the Most out of Each Day

Time Management

How to Get the Most Out of Each Day

Do you often feel like you have got a million things to do and not even one spare minute to do anything? Does it sometimes seem that everything is caving in on you, and that time is slipping through your fingers? Perhaps the need to take care of other work and family responsibilities, as well as your studies, seem like an impossible juggling act? Try not to worry, you are not alone. In this quickly changing fast-paced world feelings like these are very common among university students and indeed many people in all walks of life. You will be pleasantly surprised at how a bit of careful planning and some simple adjustments in lifestyle can make all the difference. Managing your time better will increase your productivity and reduce stress. This leaflet provides some valuable guidance on how to go about this.

Assessing Your Current Schedule

You believe that you could not possibly squeeze any more time out of your timetable, but how do you actually spend your time now? If you had a clear picture of this then you would probably be amazed at how easily time can be whittled away without either producing any work or managing to fit in some well-earned recuperation or valuable leisure time. For example, how much time do you spend reading junk mail, making cups of tea, sending texts, talking on the telephone, or carrying out unimportant time-consuming jobs? You may seem to spend your days in a frenzy of activity but you might not actually achieve much because you are not concentrating on the right things. By getting a clear view on your present timetable you will be able to see the areas where your time could be spent more usefully or prioritised better. For example, time spent simply worrying about everything you’ve got to do could perhaps be spent more productively by getting some fresh air and exercise or doing something that you enjoy! That way you could return to your work refreshed and more productive, rather than worried and panicking.

A good way to go about assessing your current schedule would be to keep an activity log for a several days. Make an entry every time you change activity, noting down the time, and what activity you are just about to start. Also jot down how you feel (wide awake, energetic, flagging, tired etc); this can help you find out what times of day you perform best. Many people are more clear and quick-thinking in the mornings, whereas others may work better during the night, or whenever other distractions are minimal. The way you feel may also be to do with the breaks you have taken, the food you have eaten, and so on; but the log can help to analyse this.

Making a Realistic Plan for Each Day

Now you will have a clear picture of all the time that you have been wasting and you will be able to see that there is room for improvement with your time management. However, you may still be finding it difficult to get motivated and be spending valuable time procrastinating by putting off important but unpleasant or difficult tasks again and again. You are not on your own! The jobs that you really need to do are not going to go away however, and the consequences of not doing it will probably be even more unpleasant than the work itself. A plan for the day can really help. But this plan must be realistic! If you set impossible goals for the day then you are setting yourself up for disappointment, and will end up demotivated again when you realise that you have got no hope of achieving those goals. Below is some helpful guidance about how to plan your schedule:

Make a prioritised list of everything that you have to do with the most important at the top, labelling different tasks alphabetically where ‘A’ is very important, ‘B’ is just important, ‘C’ is not very important, and so on. Also break big tasks up into smaller, more manageable chunks. Having a clear list of everything you have to do in one place like this will help to reduce stress.

Draw up a loose weekly timetable. This will help you to see where you can fit everything in for the week so that you do not feel like you have to get everything done today. It can also help you to further prioritise the activities that are most important to you, and perhaps even drop some that are least important in order to give yourself more time. Be careful about this though. For example you might think that you have not got enough time to organise your desk, but being more organised could help you save time in the end.

Try to schedule your most intellectually challenging tasks for when you are more likely to be productive, according to your activity log that you have filled in previously.

Include contingency time in your schedule to allow for unforeseen interruptions.

Use the template provided in the activity section of this webpage to schedule your day.

If you are still suffering from procrastination and de-motivation then perhaps ask someone to check up on you to make sure you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. This seems to work well for slimming and other self-help groups.

Remember to include well-earned breaks within which you can reward yourself for completing difficult tasks!

It might be a good idea to make your plan the night before so that, on the day, you will have a clear picture of what you are supposed to be doing right from the start. Remember though that this timetable does not have to be rigid and set in stone. You are only human, and unforeseen circumstances may get in the way, in which case your schedule can be adjusted accordingly, and will indeed probably need to be reviewed quite often.

Getting More Focussed / Productive / Efficient / Directed

You may now have set yourself an organised and realistic timetable, and it is time to settle down to a couple of hours’ work! Unfortunately though, you are feeling absent-minded; your mind is all over the place, and you are finding it very difficult to concentrate. It is easy to waste a lot of time by simply not being focussed enough. Your mind can have the tendency to keep drifting off; you may even be nodding off to sleep! You may feel sluggish and the whole work process could feel like wading through thick mud up to waist level, taking twice as long as necessary. You might even decide not to bother at all and end up not getting anything done. Below are some useful tips on how to become more clear-headed and energetic in order to prepare you to make more effective use of time.

Eat Well! A poor diet can lead to poor concentration; a good diet to better concentration. Try and eat the (NHS?) recommended five portions of fruit and / or vegetables a day; if you are consistent about this then you will be set for a healthier lifestyle all round and your level of performance will be enhanced. It is well-known that whole foods, including fruit, vegetables and whole grains, promote better health in general, and this includes mental health.

Have regular short breaks. If you are extremely busy then it is likely that you will not feel that you have any time for breaks. However you will be pleasantly surprised what a difference to your productiveness that even just a five or ten minute break can make. If your mind has been trailing off, your concentration will be more likely to return. Likewise, if you have planned a break but find that you are on a roll then you might decide to carry on working longer.

Exercise! – sharpens thinking. Even better, fresh air and exercise will blow all those cobwebs away so you can start work again with a clear head.

Meditate! – clears thinking and helps you to relax.

Get a good night’s sleep and you will be much more on the ball during your day. Regular meditation in the evening, and drinking chamomile tea or hot chocolate instead of caffeine drinks before you go to bed can help with this.

Try not to get stressed or rush everything: calmness leads to getting more done in the end.

Include days off in your weekly timetable! When you get into a routine and you are using your time more effectively, you will see that this is possible! It will be something to look forward to that could spur you on with your work, and you will be able to experience it as well-earned recuperation and leisure time that you do not need to feel guilty about!

Beware of aids such as caffeine, nicotine and sugar which might help concentration for some people in the short-term, but could cause health difficulties if overused, and may lead unwanted withdrawal symptoms when their effects wear off, including even less concentration.

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