Is your new academic year starting, and you are getting that exciting yet overwhelming feeling? We can understand that a new academic year can always be stressful. You are getting back to classes and homework after so long, and trying to adjust your messed-up sleeping schedule after months of Netflix Binge Watching.
During this transition, making a timetable to effectively plan your days is essential, giving sufficient time to both studies and recreational activities. If you start following a well-planned timetable, you will notice completing all your tasks in a timely manner and enjoying your life side by side.
Now you must be thinking, ‘how to make an effective timetable’, right? As always, we are here to help you out! We are jotting down a structured guide below to help you make a well-planned timetable, along with a few benefits of making a timetable to convince you. Keep Reading; you will want to thank us later!
Why Do You Need To Make A Timetable?
Making and following a proper timetable helps the students to take control of their academic, personal, and professional lives. To help you convince and make up your mind, here are some incredible benefits following a timetable can give you:
- A timetable gives you a complete list of tasks you need to accomplish in a day. Knowing this makes you mentally prepared for things you have to complete.
- Timetables allow you to focus on one thing at a time; this means you won’t have to worry about everything together.
- Accomplishing your tasks in time will give you a boost of confidence and self-esteem.
- You will feel more motivated to do things and complete your tasks.
- Timetables make you follow a productive routine on a daily basis.
- Timetables also help you improve your time management skills.
- They help you focus on your goals and achieve them.
- Timetables also vanish procrastination from your life.
- Following a timetable will help you stay away from the constant stress of tasks. Eventually, your mind will be free from mental health problems like stress and anxiety.
- If you make a timetable with sufficient time assigned to every task, you can enjoy your hobbies and other recreational activities.
The benefits of planning your day with the help of a timetable are endless, but these were the most prominent ones.
How To Make An Effective Timetable?
Now that you are probably convinced that timetables are extremely important in a student’s life, it’s time to learn how to create a
well-planned timetable. Don’t worry; we are jotting down and clear and convenient step-by-step guide for you below. But first, let us quickly go through an essential tip on making a timetable:
- We would suggest that you make a daily timetable but keep a week or month of tasks in mind. Now obviously, you are not going to make a new timetable every day, right? Therefore, structure your timetable with a week’s tasks and then categorise those tasks into daily goals. Now, let’s dive into the steps of making a timetable!
1. Start With Making A List In Mind
Before you start making a timetable, figure out if you are making a weekly or monthly one. For example, you have exams coming up and you need to start preparing for them beforehand. After identifying your weekly/monthly targets, categorise them in days. Sit down and think about what tasks you want to complete in one day. These tasks can be completing your homework, studying, painting, going out, or doing other things you want to do. When you are done thinking, make a list of all the tasks and write them down.
Always make sure to be mindful and include some recreational and enjoyable activities in your daily list of tasks. If you don’t have enough margin to spend ‘me-time’, you can at least assign 20 to 30 minutes to give your mind a break from the stress. For example, you can assign 30 minutes to take your dog out for a walk or spend time with your friends or family.
2. Structure Your Day
Now that you are done thinking and listing your tasks, it is time to make the actual timetable. You can do this on a spreadsheet or on a paper with a permanent marker, whatever you like. You need to group all your tasks together and figure out the order of completing them. Mention what task you complete first, then the other, and so on. Moreover, you need to assign specific time frames to each task - for example, if you are planning on completing an assignment, how much time you are willing to spend on it?
After that, figure out when you want to plan the extra study? Early in the morning before school or at night? Don’t hurry yourself while you are on the structuring part; take your time, assess things, and see how much time you will need to give to one task. Also, make sure not to assign tight deadlines for you. Even if you make a mistake at some point, it is fine. You can always learn and make changes to your timetable.
3. Set Goals
Always make sure to set realistic goals for yourself while making a timetable. With that being said, don’t get carried away and assign too many tasks to yourself in one day. Always remember that a timetable is meant to make your life easier, not more difficult. Therefore, always start with a simple and easy-to-accomplish schedule; you can make further changes to it later.
As for the goals, if you are planning to complete a chapter, set a goal of how much time you want to complete it. In a day, in a week, or 10 days? Make sure to set a realistic goal, keeping in mind that some emergencies might happen or you get sick. The goal should not be hard enough that you tire yourself out. In the end, timetables are all about feeling more motivated, accomplished, and relaxed.
4. Give Time To Yourself
Assigning yourself with some self-pampering activities and ‘me time’ is extremely important. You have to give equal time to yourself to relax, eat, and sleep. Always remember that there are 24 hours in a day, and you need to sleep for 8 hours out of those. Then, give an hour to yourself to eat your meals and snacks. In the end, give time to yourself to do activities that make you happy and relaxed. In short, give equal time and attention to everything.
5. Follow The Timetable Religiously
In the end, it is important that you follow your timetable religiously; or at least try to. It will take time to get used to your new timetable, but once you do, there will be no going back. All you need to do is stay dedicated, consistent, and punctual with your schedule.
Final Words
Again, a timetable is an essential part of a
student’s life. It makes them punctual, relaxed, motivated, and confident. We hope that the tips mentioned above were fruitful for you. Just start following them and make your life super easy and relaxed at all times! Also, keep visiting our blog for more important information and tips!
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