Time management , Whakahaere wā

It means letting low priority activities take precedence over high priority tasks. Common reasons for procrastination include:

• you may put off starting or finishing an assignment because you want it to be perfect (perfectionism)
• you may not see the relevance of the assignment
• you may be unsure how to begin writing an assignment.

Tips to overcome procrastination

• Break your assignment into small, manageable tasks which you can complete during short sessions of time.
• Set realistic timeframes with flexibility to deal with life crises.
• Start studying at the same time most days or nights.
• Focus on 1 thing at a time – remind yourself that there is no better time than now.
• Reward yourself after small tasks to keep up your motivation.
• Remind yourself of the end goal or purpose. It helps to see the relevance of your study to your life.
• If you are unsettled, work for just 15 minutes. The hardest part is to begin.
• Resist the temptation to put a task aside because you don't think you are doing it well enough.

Perfectionism is often mistakenly seen in our society as desirable or even necessary for success. However, perfectionist attitudes may actually interfere with success. The desire to be perfect can both rob you of a sense of personal satisfaction and cause you to fail to achieve as much as people who have more realistic strivings.

Perfectionism frequently leads to procrastination because perfectionists:

• fear finishing or even starting an assignment
• fear their work will not be good enough
• set goals that are too high to achieve, instead of trying to gradually build up their skills and work towards success.

Tips to overcome perfectionism

• Remember that nothing can ever be perfect. It is impossible to produce something that takes into account every angle, argument or perspective. Everyone brings their own perspective to an assignment.
• Value the process, not just the outcome.
• If you break goals into smaller ones, it is easier to get an on-going sense of achievement.
• Put your efforts into the things that will gain the most return, such as writing.
• See mistakes as opportunities to learn.

Some points to remember while completing a semester timetable:

Complete it as soon as possible

It is important to complete this as soon as possible as it will give you an indication of your workload.

Enter in the important dates for all your papers

By entering assignment due dates for all papers you'll be able to identify possible high pressure times, such as when several assignments are due in the same week. This is very common – plan ahead to make sure you can complete all of your assignments on time.

Schedule important personal events

Include personal and family events in the schedule so that you can plan for any potential clash early on. Doing study is not meant to exclude you from family events such as weddings. You can do both.

Share your schedule with your friends, family and flatmates. You need support from those you live with and your friends and flatmates deserve to know when you are going to be around. They are also more likely to be supportive if they know when your assignments are due.

Schedule important work commitments

Tell your employer you are studying – most are very supportive. They may give you a day's study leave before your exam. They may refund your fees if you pass.

Make sure you do not omit work deadlines in your weekly or daily schedule.

Allow time for preparation

3 weeks preparation is ideal for assignments.

If required, choose your topic early and get books from the library. This is especially vital in a tight time schedule when everyone else in your class may be looking for the same books.

If you are lucky enough to get the book first, use it. You may be hit with a recall notice after a few days if other students have requested it. Use a photocopier for key pages or quotes. You can also request the book again after you have returned it.

Student copyright guide – Massey University

Schedule in examination dates

This shows you how close together your exams are so you can plan accordingly. Keep the exam dates in mind and save time for exam preparation.

Inform your employer early on that you may want leave for study or to sit the exam.

Allow time for yourself

A good schedule sets time aside for your leisure and personal life, as well as gaps for the unexpected or for the tasks that take longer than you expect.

You will get stressed if you do not allow time for personal matters as well as work.

Schedule in your on-campus contact workshop, if you are studying distance

If you can afford it, attend the contact workshops offered on campus. These give you the opportunity to meet your lecturers in person, work with other students, make friends and allow you to clarify any problems.

Start the plan by entering all your regular commitments including:

• your lectures, tutorials and labs
• meal times and cooking duties
• gym sessions, sports practice, hobbies or church times
• part-time work
• time to spend with friends and family.

Once this is filled in, you'll have a good idea of how much time is left for study, reading textbooks and writing assignments. If you have very little time then you should consider reducing some of your non-academic commitments during the semester.

Schedule in regular study times for each course. This plan should be available to people you live with so that they can see when you are studying or doing your assignments and when you are available.

Weekly planner guidelines

• Use the short gaps between lectures for eating, reading, using the computer labs or getting books from the library.
• Use longer gaps or evenings for studying, making notes, writing assignments, lab write-ups or doing calculations.
• Estimate how long something will take by applying the 'sanity zone' formula. For example, if you think a writing task will take an hour, allow an hour and a half.
• Leave some gaps you can use for study if something unexpected happens or for rest if you are up-to-date.
• Do not fill your weekly planner. Make sure it includes rest and recreation time.

Strategies to protect your study time

• Set a family homework time if you have secondary age children and get everyone working or studying at the same time.
• Set the answer-phone with a message that says, 'The family are doing their homework at present. You can contact them after 9.30pm or in the morning between 7.45 and 8.30am.'
• Turn off all cell phones.
• Browse social media and check your e-mail after you have done your study.
• Tell your partner and family when you are having a very busy week.
• Do not start the washing or any other household chore that will take some time to complete.
• Write the weekly plan at the same time each week so that it is a routine activity.

A 'To Do' list is a good strategy for students who prefer a daily plan.

Daily 'To Do' list guidelines

• At the end of each day work out what you have to do the next day
• Write the list
• Use SMART goals
• Prioritise things that must be done first, then things you would like to get done and finally things that are low priority or have no time limit
• This list will not be entirely academic tasks. A goal such as 'take the cat to the vet' might be a high priority task for a particular day
• Work through the list starting with the most urgent
• Cross tasks off as you accomplish them.