Time Management Techniques That Work – Part 2

In Part 1, we talked about why time management can feel impossible. Now it’s time to get practical! Here are some simple, realistic strategies to help you take control of your days and get things done, without burning out.

Time Blocking

Time Blocking means assigning specific timeslots to specific activities. Instead of having a vague plan like ‘study chemistry this afternoon’, you’d block out ‘Chemistry Problem Set 1 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm.’

Here’s what a realistic day might look like:

• 9:00 – 10:30 AM: Biology Lecture
• 11:00 – 12:00 PM: Math homework  
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch with friends
• 1:00 – 3:00 PM: English Paper (first draft)
• 3:00 – 4:00 PM: Gym/Workout
• 4:00 – 5:00 PM: Laundry/Clean room
• 6:00 – 7:00 PM: Dinner
• 7:00 – 9:00 PM: Study group for history exam
• 9:00 PM: Free time

Notice this includes non-school related stuff too. If you don’t plan for meals, friends, and exercise, they’ll still happen but then mess up your study schedule.

For students with packed schedules, try ‘themed days.’ Maybe Mondays and Wednesdays are heavy reading days, Tuesdays and Thursdays are math and science problems, and Fridays are for catching up.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique involves 25-minute work sessions followed by 5-minute breaks. After four rounds, take a longer 15-30-minute break. This system follows your natural attention span and makes large tasks seem more manageable. 

Be flexible with it. If the timer goes off after 25 minutes and you want to keep going, do it. If you’re struggling to focus, try 15-minute sessions. The important thing is having those structured breaks. 

Monday Planning, Friday Review 

Spend 15 minutes every Monday morning planning your week, and 10 minutes every Friday afternoon reviewing how it went. 

Monday Planning: Look at your calendar, identify the busiest days, and make sure you have realistic daily goals.

Friday Review: What worked well this week? What didn’t? Adjust next week’s plan based on what you learned.

Managing Time When You’re Living On Your Own

The Invisible Time Drains

Nobody warns you how much time basic things take when you’re managing everything on your own – grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry. It all adds up fast.

The secret is batching similar tasks together. For example, do your laundry on Saturdays, or grocery shop once a week with a list. Try prepping meals for the week on Sunday evenings. Creating these routines helps free up mental energy for more important decisions.

Balancing Study Time With Your Social Life

You don’t have to give up your social life, but you do need to be intentional about it. 

Set study hours that your friends know about. If your friends know you’re unavailable on weeknights from 7-10pm, they’ll stop asking you to hang out during that time. 

Make social time count by being present. Give yourself permission to fully enjoy your downtime. You’ll feel more energized when it’s time to get back to studying.

Creating Study Spaces that Actually Work

Your environment has a huge impact on your ability to focus.  Create a dedicated study space, and keep it clean and stocked with everything you need. When you sit down there, your brain will know it’s work time.

If your living space is too distracting, find somewhere else to study – the library, a coffee shop or even an empty classroom. 

What To Do When Everything Falls Apart

The Reset Strategy

Life happens. The trick is remembering that panic mode won’t help.

Look at everything on your plate. What has deadlines that you absolutely cannot miss? What can you ask for extensions on? What can you do a simplified version of?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Professors are usually understanding if you reach out to them early and honestly. Academic advisors, tutoring centres and counselling services are also there to help you succeed.

Common Setbacks: How To Handle Them

Getting sick during exams: Email your professors right away and ask for extensions if needed. And focus on getting better first!

Friend drama: Set boundaries to protect your study time. You can still be a good friend without letting their drama derail your semester.

Technology failures: Always have a backup plan. Save your work in multiple places and know where the computer lab is. 

Mental Health struggles: Don’t try to power through anxiety, depression or other challenges. Use your school’s counselling services; they’re specifically trained to help students.

Building Long-Term Time Management Habits

Start small: Don’t try to overhaul your entire life at once. Pick one strategy from this article and focus on it for 2-3 weeks. Maybe start with time blocking your study hours, or doing the Monday planning routine. Once that becomes automatic, add another piece. Habits stick when you build them gradually.

Adjust your system: What works during regular weeks might not work during finals. What worked in first year might not work in second year. The goal isn’t to find the perfect system and use it forever. Stay flexible and adjust your system as needed.

So Where Do You Start?

Good time management is about creating space in your life for everything you want to do. When you’re not constantly struggling to catch up, you have more energy for learning and all the other activities that matter to you.

Remember: Time Management is a skill, and it can be learned. Start with one technique that resonated with you while reading this. Try it for one week. Notice what works and what doesn’t. Adjust it to fit your schedule and your personality. The best time management system is the one you actually stick with.

Progress over perfection!

About the Author
Shirley Reichberg, BA, BEd, OCT, is an Occupational Therapist and OCT-certified educator with almost two decades of classroom experience. As the Director of Executive Function Coaching at The Red Oak Centre, Shirley is dedicated to helping students build organization, time management, planning, and task prioritization skills —tools that foster both academic achievement and personal growth.