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Effective time management skills can help you boost your productivity while avoiding burnout. Here are 7 steps to get your started:
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๐ญ. ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ! Start by adding your ongoing activities (e.g. lectures, labs, tutorials, extra-curriculars, etc.) to a calendar or agenda. Check out these FREE printable planners.
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๐ฎ. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐! If you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, you are more likely to work towards it. Need some help? Check out this guide on setting SMART goals.
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๐ฏ. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ! List all your tasks for the week and/or month (e.g. lab reports, essays, midterms, etc.) and their due dates. Classify them based on importance and work on high-priority tasks first. For example, a report due in two days may be โurgentโ while a report due in two months may be of โlow importanceโ at the moment
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๐ฐ. ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ! Having a weekly study/work plan can help you stay on top of your course material. Donโt forget to schedule time for fun activities too. Balance is crucial.
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๐ฑ. ๐๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ธ! This can be distracting and inefficient. Try to focus on completing one task at the time.
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๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐! You can go for a walk, grab a cup of tea, stretch, meditate or perform any other activity that helps you recharge. Take a 10-min break for every 50-min work session. Try not to get too distracted though and avoid the use of electronics โ most of us will likely scroll on our phones or watch TV for longer than 10 minutes.
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๐ณ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ โ๐ป๐ผโ! Taking on too many tasks/activities can be counterproductive and end up becoming too overwhelming. It is okay to be honest. Your mental health is much more important.