I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I manage to keep up with many domains, university, work, and my endless list of chores. Often, it’s hard to explain, but it comes down to just about one thing – good time management.

People want to know how, which is why I’ve written this article. It’s from a personal point of view, so by no means do you have to follow every single thing I do.

There are key points to having good time management.

Know yourself.

I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t know your hobbies, what subjects you’re good at, what you like or don’t like to do – it won’t help. You need to know yourself, so you can arrange your tasks accordingly.

Don’t stick to a timetable.

I know teachers tell you this, and that it will better organise your time – but the thing for me is, no. No timetables. Most people can stick to a timetable, but other people like variety in their lives. How many times have you promised yourself to do a hundred sit-ups every day, yet, after two days, you give up?

I find that changing things every day keeps me going. Every week, if you can’t manage every day.

Each day, I make a plan for the next day. I find that it works simply that way, to have little short-term goals. But you need to know the tasks you have to do. There is no point making a plan and having vague things like “study”. Study for what?

But that said, at the same time, do not make a plan and expect everything to go to that plan. Prepare to lose, really. Have a plan – don’t stick to it. In the words of Mark Tredinnick, from The Little Red Writing Book:

‘Have a plan-don’t stick to it’, I say. That’s what I tell to my students sometimes. Discover the work you need to write by writing it. Have a plan so you know what it is you’re trying to make – water-garden, poem, terrace, novel. And so that you get started. But be prepared to wander off the chart.

Go ahead and make a plan, whether it be for the day, or for the week.

Have goals.

As I mentioned with short-term goals. They’re good if you want to get little things done. Maths homework. Return a few comments. Reply to that email. Apply for that job. Set a day when you’ll do it. Be specific.

These things build up to long-term goals, such as, “Do that history assignment by next Wednesday, fully completed and printed off”. That is a reasonable goal – you have stated when, what it is, what you want to do.

There is no point making a vague, lame goal – the same with a vague plan. “Lose weight” – when? How much?

In having a long-term goal, like finishing that assignment, you need to make short-term goals towards that. You will never get that history assignment done if you don’t 1. research, 2. write a small introduction, 3. make a plan for that!

Know your obstacles.

As I said earlier. When making your plan, you need to know what you have to do, and priorities. If you have an assignment due in a week, chances are you’re likely to start that before you think about the assignment due much later on.

Make daily plans, and make them earlier. Don’t leave them for the morning. Before you go to bed, at least have a general plan. Often you’ll have extracurricular activities that get in the way, so you have to work around them, and that’s up to you.

Now to get to the crunchy bit. You know your addictions. So if you’re one to turn on the Wii as soon as you get up in the morning, and you’re on it all day – STOP. Don’t press that power button.

I’m one to make my bed every morning, without fail. So have a little way to “start your day”. Maybe you’re used to starting your day by slamming the alarm clock with your hand and going back to sleep for another hour? Or you’re used to scrambling out of bed and turning on that Wii, your sheets a mess, and you don’t even bother opening the curtain.

Do something little to start your day. Make your bed. Open the windows and have a breath of fresh air before you have breakfast. Say to yourself, “Good morning!”

Something that will hold you off from going on Facebook or playing the Wii. Then take the next step.

Be a good daydreamer.

Not when you’re driving of course. But while you’re putting off going on the computer or whatever it is, think about it. Feel free to think about what you might do later. This is part of planning.

Go to the kitchen, and eat your breakfast first. Think over your breakfast. What do you have to do today? Is that a pile of dishes in the sink? Prepare yourself while you boil the water for your soup. Or while you munch on your scone, think about what you’ll do next.

If you’re one who’s easily stuck on the computer, don’t go on the computer! Do some chores in the morning first before you settle down and get stuff done.

If you’re one to take breaks, do them in chunks. The human brain can only concentrate on one thing for twenty minutes, no longer. So don’t make yourself study seven hours on end, please. I knew someone who did that, and they were very socially awkward and schizoid.

Do procrastinate… the good way.

This leads on from being a good daydreamer. Some people procrastinate by playing games. But procrastinating by doing something other than playing games is a better idea. In essence, you have lots of things to do. But if you don’t want to start that assignment, do another piece of work instead. Or plan it out in your head.

Maybe you have a huge essay to write. Go and read something related to that essay. Plan things out in your head. Every day, we think. A lot of us think before bed – which you should avoid, for you won’t get a good night’s sleep.

Think while you eat your dinner. Think in the shower. Of course you can sing in the shower too, but maybe singing for that performance you have on the weekend?

Multi task.

Not everyone can multi task. Now believe me, it’s impossible to stay alive with Twitter/Facebook updates while doing your homework. Multi task in a different way. While you’re eating dinner, watch television. It’s slightly more productive than eating dinner, going back to your room, then coming back to crash on the couch and watch Two and a Half Men.

It might not be noticeable at first, but it makes a difference. Eat dinner a bit later if you must. Download episodes onto your ipod so you can watch them at a later time, or while you’re waiting at the bus stop in the morning.

You can do some things at once – but not everything. That said, music while you study isn’t always good. It is a fact that classical music helps you think better. Don’t mind what people say and the reputation classical music has. With its reputation and history – no one need be dissing it for its “lame”-ness. Where did that come from? Similarly, yoga music. It’s calming. Admit it, you can’t concentrate when a baby’s screaming next door, so why would you be able to concentrate with screamo/metal music? Be realistic. It’s great music, but it’s not appropriate for study. Music should only be played in the background to eliminate external noises and disruptions. There is also music that is adapted from natural sounds of birds and trees, which are equally as good.

Find hidden time slots.

This is one thing that a lot of people might not notice, but the time you spend walking around and travelling to school or work is actually useful.

I write poems on the train sometimes, to relieve my stress. I also do a bit of homework or read things. In the mornings, transport is generally quiet (though crowded). It’s useful to carry a little notebook and pen to take notes or write what you plan to do, especially if you walked out of the house without breakfast. Now I love my train rides, as terrible as the atmosphere is. Sometimes I get a good seat and I’m able to go on my laptop.

What do I do? Sometimes I read a piece of homework. Sometimes I have my comments page for my website open so I type comment replies in Notepad, because there isn’t an internet connection. Sometimes I type a review because I previously opened the tabs before putting my laptop to sleep.

Even if you don’t have a laptop, printing off pages of notes or saving them on your phone or iPod can be useful, if that’s possible. Even if you don’t have anything to do or you just want to sleep, use the transport time to think and plan.

If you walk, or ride a bike, or you’re just lazy, listen to recordings. I remember in the weeks before a test or exam, I would record myself saying things that I needed to remember and I would play them to myself as I walked to school.

Have “me” time, and have sleep.

That’s right. Don’t feel that you have to make ridiculous goals. As I quoted earlier, you don’t have to stick to a plan. Don’t stick to it. It might suck to have your plans ruined, but it’s something you get used to. If your plan is ruined, no doubt you will make a new plan, or you had a backup plan in mind, right? It’s the way we think. In doing this, you will be planning away non stop and you won’t be realising.

In that sense, don’t feel pressured to do everything in your plan. Don’t feel pressured to do even half of it. Some people like a challenge, but when it gets to the point when you’re pushing yourself, stop. Time management is not about stress. Leave dramas for later. That’s why you need to have priorities.

Have “me” time. Put time aside to relax and lie in the grass. Put time aside to even take a nap, or to watch something. Your brain works a lot each day, the more you try to manage your time. So do take the time out to do something you enjoy. If it’s playing Minesweeper, so be it. If it’s watching a movie, so be it. If it’s riding your bike, so be it. But have “me” time, or even time out with friends.

Having sleep is important. Don’t wear yourself out and force yourself. You might have to get to sleep early for school. But on the weekends or other days, when you get sleepy, sleep.

This is why you should avoid pulling all-nighters on things. Sleep actually is important. Sometimes I admit I don’t get enough sleep, but you have to plan to catch up on it sometime.

I hope this article helped all people, and somehow led you into my little world.