Written by: Aimee Choi
Artwork by: TVMB
You’re not lazy, you’re just using your time wrong
Time is a precious asset. We do whatever it takes to get just 5 more minutes of sleep, one more week of vacation, and 30 more seconds to finish up our exams. Yet, we’re not trained well to use our time wisely, especially when it comes to completing tasks. Procrastination is a norm, and we spend much more time getting our tasks done than we really need.
As students, time management is the most important skill to stay on top of hectic schedules—and to stay sane. Here are some of my favorite techniques for dividing your time or workload that can help you become more efficient and productive.
Pomodoro
Arguably the most well-known study technique, Pomodoro breaks your task down into clear time intervals. Grab a timer, set it to 25 minutes, and start working on your task until the timer rings. Take a break for 5 minutes, then repeat. You can be completely flexible and creative with how you design this technique, especially with how you set the time intervals; you could work on your task for an hour and take 20-minute breaks in between. Adding incentives to push through your task-time intervals are also a great way to stay motivated: a YouTuber created “Animedoro,” where he would watch one episode of anime for every break he had.
Pomodoro is perfect for those who have trouble remaining on task or have a weak attention span. The set time blocks will help you divide your workload into manageable chunks.
Parkinson’s Law
Procrastinators, this one's for you. This is certainly a risky one, but it’s all about the thrill.
British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson claims that whatever time you have is the amount of time it will take you do complete a task. The more time you have, the slower and more expansive your work becomes. The less time you have, the faster you can get it done.
While Parkinson’s Law is not necessarily a technique, it establishes an important foundation for devising one. If you find yourself struggling to work efficiently due to a lack of pressure to get the task done, add a stress factor. For instance, try to finish an essay on your computer with a low battery percentage. You will be pressured to finish a draft, no matter how low quality it is, before your computer dies. This is efficient because many would agree that the hard part of writing an essay is getting a first draft done; making revisions afterward feels less daunting.
Eat the Frog
Not all tasks are created equal. Some are short and easy, while others are long and onerous. Before the day starts, create a to-do list with the most important and difficult tasks—or the “frogs”—to be done first. You definitely need some will power to use this technique, but once you start getting things done, it will be completely worth it. If you love the feeling of getting things done and ticking boxes off your checklist, Eat the Frog will certainly keep you motivated.
While this technique doesn’t necessarily regulate the way you use time, it indirectly helps you use time efficiently. Oftentimes, we procrastinate the most difficult task and find ourselves scrambling to finish it at the last minute. You will no longer face those intense situations once you get used to this technique.
Finding your technique
Even if you find a technique you like, it’ll rarely be perfect for you every single day. Be creative with how you approach your tasks; switch your technique up every few days, add snacks in between as motivation, and try these techniques with a friend. The more you explore different ways to divide your time and workload, the more you’ll realize that you aren’t as lazy as you thought you were.
Sources
Boogaard, Kat. “What is Parkinson’s Law and why is it sabotaging your productivity?” Atlassian, 20 Aug. 2021, www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/what-is-parkinsons-law.
Kane, Becky. “Eat the Frog: If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning.” Todoist, https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eat-the-frog.
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