Best Time Management Strategies for Students

Helping students figure out how to manage their time can be tough, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. What works for someone else may not work for them — and that’s one of the reasons finding a time management strategy that works for each student is so difficult.

Someone who is a rocket scientist likely has a different time management strategy than a college student trying to figure out their major, so it doesn’t make sense to expect the same time management technique would work for both of them. No matter where they are in your education process, understanding your time management style based on their personality type is key to succeed long-term. 

For example, more outgoing students might benefit from the Eat That Frog technique, in which you do the tasks you like the least first thing. That way, you can get the things you are dreading out of the way to focus on tasks you enjoy more. 

More introverted students could benefit from the Einsenhower principle, in which you divide your tasks for the day into 4 sections: urgent, not urgent, important, and not important. This helps students segment their days to learn how to prioritize better and feel prepared to tackle the tasks ahead of them. 

Another great technique is the time-blocking technique, which works well for observant and analytical types. With the time-blocking method, you create a list of higher and lower level priority items and set aside a certain amount of time for each. This can help your students learn to multitask without getting overwhelmed, and is a great way to split up their days into more manageable tasks. At first, your students should build buffer time into each of the sections and once they are more comfortable, they will then have a better idea of how long each task will take. 

For students filling out college applications, time management is more important than ever. Learning to juggle multiple applications (while keeping track of deadlines, stages of applications, and more) can be difficult for teenagers, but with your help, they can learn the skills they need to thrive in college. 

No matter if a student would consider themselves traditionally “good at time management” or not, it’s important to support them in their journey to find a time management tactic that works for them. Time management can be a trial and error process, but teaching students how to manage their time early on can lead to years of success down the line. As they say: give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. 

The process of teaching time management to students can be exhausting — it’s no easy feat on either side of it. However, being patient and supporting your students is key to helping guide them to success.