Now that we’re already a couple of weeks into the New Year, most of us would probably be thinking how time flies, whether we’re having fun or not.
If you’re a student, trying to juggle classes, assignments, extra-curricular activities and a social life can be quite a struggle.
If you’re looking to use your time more efficiently, one of the keys is to eliminate time wasters from your day so that you can strike a better balance between home and study.
Most of us would probably agree that one of the most common time wasters is excessive usage of social media.
While social media may be a good platform for networking and information searching, it’s also a tool that easily distracts you from study-related activities or accomplishing your tasks, as it is often the main source of procrastination.
With social media, you will face a constant stream of distractions from your smartphones or laptops, which will undoubtedly affect your ability to focus.
Apart from social media, a lack of planning or poor scheduling could also be considered a time waster for students.
Planning or making a schedule in advance is the best way to keep track of your activities and is critical if you want to accomplish something as it provides you with a clear direction towards your goal.
Constantly reviewing and assessing your schedule can help you recognise whether you need to make a change in your study pattern and complete your assignments, while at the same time learning to prioritise.
And while it’s good to have a full day planned ahead, another common mistake students often make that could also be considered time wasting is not taking breaks in between long study sessions.
Taking short breaks after about 30 minutes of a study session has been scientifically proven to boost focus and productivity because after a long period of working, the brain uses up oxygen and glucose, which is a form of energy.
By taking breaks, you are able to rejuvenate your mind so that you can refocus on your studies when it is time to resume, thus making it easier for you to digest more information.
Time wasters come in different forms and they might vary from one individual to another so just by eliminating some (if not all) will allow you to reset your priorities, be more productive, and also save more time.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
This article first appeared on The Borneo Post, visit this link: http://bit.ly/2EHbpxE
