Towards the end of the school year, you can blink and realise that you have a pile of ignored essays due in a matter of weeks. One way to get through this is by using time management correctly when you have multiple assignments. Here are a few tips on how to best manage your time when you have loads due.
Proritise
Prioritising your workload can help you to gain a better understanding on what needs doing. You can do this by making lists and notes on important things such as deadline dates, topics, time you think the assignment may take you and additional notes.
Creating these lists will make it easier for you to create a plan of attack. Spend some time making a schedule of what assignment you are going to spend a certain amount of time on at various points in the day. This will help you avoid getting overwhelmed at the volume of work to be done.
Avoid Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking can be a great tool at some points in our school life. Maybe you are making notes and listening to a different lecture, all whilst doing the dishes because they really need doing. But, when it comes to work that needs to be our best, multi-tasking can be a hinderance.
The more our minds shift between different tasks, the less attention we are giving to each task. You need to give your complete, undivided attention to one assignment at a time in order for it to be your best work.
This way you will come out with several great assignments maybe closer to the deadline, rather than badly executed work with time to spare.
Complete Before Deadline
Organise your workload so that you plan to complete each assignment before the deadline date. This will allow you time to proofread over your work instead of submitting it right after you complete it and missing some easily fixed mistakes.
When you create your priority list, be sure to put those with an earlier deadline before those with a later one. You want to make a good dent in the assignment that is due earlier, before you move onto another one. This is arguably the most important thing when focusing your time management around multiple assignments.
Work Around Attention Span
Many students take the ‘all-nighter’ approach to late assignments, but much like trying to multi-task, this will only hinder your work. We’re human, so it is natural to need breaks in between work. So, to best make use of your energy, set a timer of 15-20 minutes where you can work uninterrupted, and then have a short break.
It is also worth figuring out when you are most alert and ready to focus. If you are morning person, be sure to schedule your harder tasks for this time. However, if you become more awake in the later hours, then leave the tougher work for then. Tailor your schedule to what works best for you and remember: breaks aren’t bad!