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A paradigm shift from the physical world to the virtual world has led to the mismanagement of time. Lack of balance between our presence in the virtual world and our way back to the physical world has led to a more chaotic lifestyle. Be it students or working professionals; we all have faced dissonance between our personal life as well as professional life. Management is something not everybody’s good at, and it took some time for people to veer from traditional methods to new ones. A similar challenge was faced by students as well. Online classes consumed so much time and energy that it became difficult to cope with self-studies. The massive energy drains at the end of the classes, where you only had to sit in front of a screen, listen to what teachers or professors had to say, and take your eyes off of the screen when the day was about to end. Even though no physical activity was involved, mental consumption led to higher frustration levels. The need to maintain peace of mind and provide enough time to online classes as well as to self-studies is what a student needs advice on.
Ways to strike a balance between online classes and self-study
1. Aware of yourself from your syllabus.
The best way to manage between classes and self-studies is to understand the syllabus. A syllabus is a layout of how you have to study. A syllabus will provide you with an insight into important topics and will help you to give more time to the crucial topics and not waste your time on the insignificant ones.
2. Make a timetable.
Time management begins with planning. A timetable will help you to organize your day efficiently and will also allow you to make the most out of the day. Time table provides you with a roadmap to stay on track and accomplish your daily goals. Your timetable must have a space for working and resting time. For example, your classes end at 4 pm, make sure to take a break for half an hour or so to refresh your brain. When we start fresh, we are more likely to give our hundred percent to a task. Your memory and understanding will improve while studying after a break.
3. You must have your own study space.
You cannot study on the same sloppy laptop or mobile phone, lying on the bed you attended your online classes on. Revamp your study space. Find a place or corner in the house, away from all kinds of distractions, which will allow you to provide a thoughtful and meaningful way to study. A comfortable, quiet, and not so cozy place where you can study without any kind of distraction will help you study better and help you maintain your focus as well. Changing places or studying in your comfortable place will not allow your brain to activate itself efficiently, and it may also take time to adjust to new surroundings, thus making you lose your concentration.
4. Resist distraction.
The more you remain focused on a single task, the better your efficiency in doing it. Abstain from surfing the web for no reason and scrolling social media for entertainment. Remain centered and maintain an appreciable distance from time-killing activities. Try the Pomodoro technique to remain focused. In this technique, we divide a time frame of two hours into four slots of 30 minutes. For 25 minutes, you work without distractions, and in the last five minutes, you can take a break. After repeating it for two hours, take a long break of 30 minutes. This technique is effective in reducing distraction.
5. Do one task at a time.
Do not involve yourself in multi-tasking. Don’t try to study a different subject while attending some other subject’s class.
6. Procrastination is the enemy.
Procrastination means killing valuable time. We think we have time, and so we keep on procrastinating on a task. This is a poison for a slow death. We find various attractive time-consuming, temporary entertaining distractions and keep wasting our time doing that particular thing. We never get to know when 5 minutes becomes 1 hour, and in the same way, when the day ends, we have a pile of assignments to be finished and other study material to be studied. We become pressurized and release that pressure, and we again turn to the same distractions that have become our refuge for temporary pleasures. The logical part of your brain will keep on telling you to get back to your study table, but the illogical, emotional part will keep you engrossed in the activities that allow you to experience euphoria. It will compel you to remain distracted.
7. Stick to your to-do list.
Make a to-do list the night before, plan your day, and make sure to do justice to your to-do list when you go back to sleep. Follow the timetable, break your daily tasks into small ones and follow your to-do list to make the most out of the day.
8. Make sure when you set goals, do set rewards as well.
You are more likely to do a task when you reward yourself with what you need. For example, you have to study 2 hours a day, but you also want to play with your friends, so plan your to-do list in such a way that after you study for 2 hours, you will immediately go out and play with your friends or treat yourself with a cheeseburger or anything you would like to have to feel a sense of accomplishment.
We all know nothing is impossible if we decide to commit to a single task at a time, then there’s nothing that cannot be managed.
Also read: Importance of Expert Opinion in Improving Learning Outcomes
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prioritize daily tasks?
Make a timetable, make a to-do list, and follow them religiously. Be honest while doing these things because you are not doing it for someone; you will be doing it for yourself.
Is managing your time a skill?
Yes, time management is a skill. You can master it only by practicing it. Give up your lazy attitude and start doing work on time. You'll see that 24 hours are not less; they are more than enough.
Online classes are consuming a lot of time and energy; how do I manage them?
After the class, take a break, sleep, or go for a walk to refresh your mind. Plan your day, make a to-do list and give up on social media surfing; it wastes a lot of time.
