Author: Gülay Güler
Publication date: 09.08.2024
Exam periods are a time when students try to balance study time with their social lives and other life responsibilities. In the midst of this chaos, gaining or developing effective time management skills is crucial not only for student success academically, but also for one's own well-being. Time management strategies can be used to help students successfully navigate this challenging period. Thus, students can successfully meet expected learning outcomes without sacrificing their social lives or other responsibilities.
Identify your priorities
Firstly, it will be useful to set priorities. The first step of effective time management is to prioritise tasks. Eisenhower matrix can be suggested as a good start for time management. Eisenhower matrix is one of the time management methods used by defining priorities. This matrix consists of four main divisions, namely "Urgent and Not Urgent" and "Important and Not Important". When using the matrix, it is necessary to group the tasks to be done according to importance and urgency. For example, important and urgent actions cover the highest priority tasks that should be included in the "Do" section and should be done immediately. Considering the exam period, studying is likely to be in this category. Other things that should not be skipped are, for example, exercise and good nutrition. As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk stated, "Health in Mind, Health in Body". However, it may not be a good idea to clean the house or start playing a new musical instrument during the exam period. For this reason, it can be written in the "decide" section to be done at a later time. Start filling in the matrix according to yourself. Figure 1. contains a visual of the Eisenhower matrix.
Make use of technology and act with a plan
After setting priorities, a temporary study programme can be created. A well-structured study programme can help to work more efficiently and thus reduce stress. A study plan that includes sufficient study time for each exam, with regular breaks and time for other activities, will not only bring success but also prevent burnout. In order to keep to the schedule, technological tools can be used, such as Google Calendar or Todoist, to help students stay organised and keep track of tasks with reminders. If you think you are organised enough, focus and motivation are next. Of course, these two points are very important to complete the whole programme smoothly. The Pomodoro Technique can be recommended in this sense. Francesco Cirillo developed a time management technique in the late 1980s, it allows students to increase their concentration by working for a certain period of time and then taking a short break. Of course, everything may not go perfectly throughout this process, unplanned events or difficulties may arise. For this reason, flexibility and adaptability in the programme are very important. In such a case, review your programme according to the prioritisation in the Eisenhower matrix mentioned at the beginning of the article and adapt your programme to this new situation.
In summary, effective time management during the exam period is essential to balance life responsibilities and studying. For this purpose, it is very important to set clear priorities, to create a flexible and realistic schedule, to get help from technological tools and not to neglect self-care. Of course, it is necessary not to lose motivation during all this time and to make use of techniques that increase efficiency during studying. In this way, you will not only achieve academic success but also support our personal and professional development in the longer term.
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