Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Do you often feel overwhelmed and find you’re always cramming at the last minute? You’re not alone and the good news is, you may be struggling with time management. In this blog post we’ll how to maximize your time so you can get more out of your day. Additionally, we’ll discuss the importance of breaks and provide ideas you can try.

SMART Goals are referenced throughout this blogpost on time management so consider reading our blog post on goal setting here! Additionally, for more time management strategies, like the Eisenhower Matrix and Parkinson’s Law, check out our blog post here.

Cramming and Why It Doesn’t Work Well

To begin, it can be helpful to think of our brains, and more specifically our memory, as a sponge. Studying and learning is the equivalent to placing our brain into water. Just like sponges are only able to absorb so much water at a time, our brains are the same way! We work best when we have the proper amount of time to process, learn, and integrate information. 

So cramming is like having a water-saturated sponge and expecting it to absorb more water, which isn’t very realistic. Continuing with this analogy, taking breaks is like “wringing out” our brain so that it can then absorb more information.

Cramming limits the amount of information we’re truly able to take in, making recall during tests harder! Cramming can also cause stress, memory fatigue, and affect your ability to concentrate in your exam. Plus, if this information ever comes up in future sections or later classes you’re not going to remember it. This is because cramming only leaves things in your immediate, short term memory. Information doesn’t become integrated into your long term memory store for you to recall later.

Pomodoro Method

To step into time management strategies so you can avoid cramming, start by viewing a video on the Pomodoro Method. This technique can help you focus and manage your time and tasks more effectively.

Now that you’ve finished watching the video, let’s review a few things. In short, what makes the Pomodoro Method so effective is that it builds consistency. It helps you establish routines and consistent work habits. It’s also really effective at combating distractions and multitasking (which can be pretty inefficient) because this Method makes us focus on our task at hand. When people study they often ask themselves “should I work on this other task instead?”? Or they may say things like “taking a break now seems good.” Or “I’m really craving a sweet treat right now, I should go get one” and the list goes on! These small interruptions add up and it takes energy to refocus our attention once it’s lost on these thoughts. The Pomodoro Method helps us resist these self-interruptions and re-trains our brain to focus

• Step 1: Pick a task → Be specific. Think less “study science” and more “make cue cards for science” or “do the practice problems for science,” etc. You want to take those broad strokes and turn them into smaller 25-minute tasks
• Step 2: Set a 25-minute timer and don’t turn it off! 
• Step 3: Focus on the task you’ve chosen → Consider putting your phone on do not disturb. There are also apps you can download that “lock” you out of your phone for a set amount of time. For example, I use one called “plantie”. Consider also having a journal nearby so that you can write any stray thoughts that come up during the the 25 minutes down and review them later
• Step 4: Take a 5 minute break → After 25 minutes of focus, you need a break! You’ll see more on breaks below
• Step 5: Repeat the above steps for 3 more Pomodoros
• Step 6: After about 2 hours or 4 Pomodoros, take a 15-30 minute break → Maybe change where you’re sitting, go eat, etc. 

There is a variation to the traditional Pomodoro style where people do 50 minutes straight and then take a 10 minute break. This works really well for some people who are able to keep their focus for that long. It could be worth it to try both and see which one works better for you. It’s also important to note how long you set your Pomodoros may depend on your task. If you’re making cue cards then maybe doing the 50/10 version is realistic but if you’re reviewing those cue cards and a lot of concentration is involved since you’re now memorizing, you may need to do 25/5.

You can either set a timer yourself or search up “Pomodoro timers” – there are lots of options! This Pomodoro Timer is a good option as it lets you enter and keep track of the tasks you are giving yourself. Additionally, on YouTube if you search up “study with me Pomodoro” there are lots of videos of people who use this method, such as this one. It can be useful to use these videos since they offer some motivation: if the person in the video can do it, so can I!

Making a Schedule

When managing your time it’s super important you give yourself enough time for all of the tasks you need to complete! To help you stay on track, we’ve linked some templates for a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. You can also use apps like Google Calendar, Notion, etc. Certain apps like Google Calendar and TimeTree also let you share your schedule with others. Let’s practice making a daily schedule for tomorrow below.

1. Fill in non-negotiables (going to school, extracurriculars, meal times, etc.); fill in what time you normally sleep and wake up at as well
2. Think about the tasks you need to complete, which ones need to be completed tomorrow? In a bit you’ll learn about the Eisenhower Matrix and this might help you prioritize tasks too! You should also ask how long you think the tasks will take, potentially breaking them down into smaller pieces like the Pomodoro Method recommends.
3. Put the tasks in your schedule, accounting for breaks
4. Adjust as needed throughout tomorrow

Some other tips to keep in mind when making plans for yourself:

• Make sure you’re setting SMART goals → this will help give you direction and motivation
• Prioritize what needs to be done → even if it’s not what you want to do first
• Be flexible → give yourself wiggle room in case something ends up taking longer than you initially estimated
  • Set boundaries with yourself and others, especially during exam season → don’t be so flexible in accepting requests or other responsibilities that you aren’t able to complete everything you set out to do
  • For example, if a friend asks you hang out but that means sacrificing the time you need to study you can either ask them if the hanging out could be studying together, or set that healthy boundary by saying “I really appreciate you thinking of me and I would love to hang out but I don’t have the time right now. Maybe another day?” 
• Review and adjust → sometimes tasks may take you longer or short than you expected. Make a note of this for the future and then adjust. Don’t let this throw you off too much! Instead, see this as an opportunity for reflection and growth on what went well and what you could change in the future
  • If you find you’re really in the flow of your task and it would do worse for you to switch to the original task you had planned, then stay on what you’re doing
  • If you find you didn’t get as far in a task as you thought, it may still be best for you to go to your next task to make sure you don’t fall behind in all the things you had planned
  • Overall, use your best judgement if you need to deviate from your plan, because at the end of the day, it’s not set in stone and it’s totally normal if you need to adjust!
• Be realistic → tying back into SMART goals, make sure you’re being realistic in estimating how much time a task will take you
  • It can also be helpful when planning things to account for how much energy you may have. For example, when it hits 7pm my brain starts to slow down from a day of studying, working, and movement so I acknowledge that I’m not going to be able to retain as much as if I was studying at at 10am
• Be consistent in your schedule → research shows that having a relatively regular rhythm, especially when it comes to studying is good for you; with a daily/weekly/monthly routine you’re more likely to see a reduction in procrastination and it’ll help you manage your time better because your physical body will see consistency as well
• Experiment → like being flexible and adjusting as needed, sometimes you’ll need to experiment with how long tasks will take you as well as how much you can do before needing a longer break. You might be able to study for 1.5 hours at a time while your friend is only able to study for 1 hour at a time or vise versa – find what works best for you

Why Breaks Are Important

Mental refreshment:

• Your brain can only handle so much at once! In giving your brain a break, you let it absorb all of the information you were just reviewing or learning.
• Taking breaks will also help increase your concentration and overall productivity because you’re giving your brain time to rest.
• With taking breaks you may also get some increased creativity, which can really help depending on what you’re studying and if you’re writing a paper.
• Again, with our brains being like sponges, if it’s already saturated with information you need to give it a break so your memory can reset and you can learn more.

Prevention of burnout:

• If you overwork yourself, both physically and mentally, your body and brain will let you know and you’ll experience burnout, which is essentially severe exhaustion that prevents you from being able to continue. 
• It can manifest as irritability, decreased motivation, difficulty concentrating, feelings of hopelessness and physical symptoms like headaches, getting sick, or stomach issues.
• So make sure you’re giving yourself breaks so that you don’t hit a wall! Make sure that during your longer breaks you’re taking care of yourself too.
• Think about what some ways you can take care of yourself are such as reading, taking a bath, watching a movie, exercising, eating nourishing foods, etc.
  • As a student, it’s super important for you to take care of yourself. Your worth is never defined by how you are doing in a class or a grade you get on a test. For more on self-care including, what it is and ideas of you can start practicing it today, follow this link.

Improved physical health:

• Stretch your shoulders out! Give your bum a break from sitting, give your eyes a break from focusing on what ever you’re writing or doing.
• If you’re on a device with blue light it’s especially important that you give your eyes a break from a screen so that your eyes stay healthy.

Reduced stress:

• Tying in with burn out, if you don’t give yourself breaks then you’re likely going to go, go, go until the stress is too much and your mind or body make you take a break. So do them a favour and schedule in breaks that refresh you so that they don’t force you to!

A Caution on Doom Scrolling and Other Social Media Use During Breaks

While taking your study breaks on your phone by watching TikTok or Youtube or going to social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram isn’t inherently bad, and might even seem like a good idea, there are some downside to think about.

Science shows that taking your breaks and doing these things doesn’t actually give your brain rest – it stimulates it as short-form videos like TikToks and reels as well as other social media apps are designed to try and keep you engaged, even if you consciously feel like it’s helping you “zone out.” These things want to get your attention and keep it, which is why it can be super hard to transition from a break on your phone will lots of bright colours to then go back to studying with concentration and focus.

Effective Brain Break Ideas

• Move Your Body → dance, stretch (especially your shoulders and hamstrings if you’ve been sitting for a while), walk around, etc.
• Get Creative → Draw, paint, sing, strum a guitar or play an instrument – anything that lets you take your mind off of studying
• Go Outside/Into Nature → go for a walk outside, sit under a tree for a bit, eat your snack outside; some fresh air can help clear your mind and help it relax
• Socialize → if you’re in a study group, chat with those around you; or chat with mom or dad or your siblings; go visit with your dog; etc.
• Have a Snack → make sure you’re fueling your body!
• Practice Mindfulness or Meditation → Initially it may feel a little silly to just sit and meditate for a little while but it really does give your mind and body a break. If you find you’re holding tension from locking in so hard when studying, visualize releasing some of that tension with every out breath
• Take a Power Nap → Make sure you set your timer so you don’t oversleep! Research suggests the sweet spot for naps is either 30 minutes or 90 minutes. For more on sleep, check out our blog post on it here.
• Above all else, make sure you’re nourishing your mind and body!

Blog post adapted from the McKinney Psychology presentation Time Management as part of our Student Series. For more on our Student Series follow this link. For further information on our presentations, please contact our office.