Do you feel that you could manage time better? Most students probably have a hard time managing time – between class, schoolwork, a job, and other responsibilities. Time management is important for people to understand because time does not wait for anyone.

Planning out your tasks for your days can be a help so you know what you have to complete. Stay organized. Write things down in a planner. Set reminders on your phone. Even something as simple as a reminder to grab your coat before leaving school can save you time and stress. The more stressed out people are, the more likely they are to forget things and give in to distractions.

You should also try to stay away from bad distractions so you don’t procrastinate. People tend to procrastinate on things that they don’t want to do. The longer this goes on, the harder it is to get back to doing the task. Anything can be a possible distraction: phone, tv, thoughts, food – basically anything other than what you know you have to do. It’s important to know yourself and what distracts you. Goal setting is a way to help yourself stay focused and motivated.

Setting goals is another way to become a good time manager. Goal setting helps you to clearly understand your goal and what exactly you need to prioritize to accomplish it. Learning strong communication skills can allow you to make your plans and goals clear to people you work with. It lets you focus on completing the most important or relevant tasks that go with your goals.

Set short and long term goals. Getting in the habit of  goal setting can help you better understand exactly what you need to accomplish to complete certain goals. To complete long term goals make smaller milestone goals along the way. If you have a goal to be promoted within six months, you might need to set smaller goals to improve on certain work skills. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based.

Everybody probably feels they could manage time better because there’s a lot to do in the day and there isn’t enough time. Try to find your own techniques to manage time better so you can start marking stuff off of your to-do list. You’ll be happy you met your goals – and now you can reward yourself with those distractions you’ve been avoiding!