The UCAS deadline has come and gone, and hopefully you got your application in without too much trouble. Remember that even if you haven’t got one in yet, it’s still worth applying (sooner rather than later) as some programmes will continue to review applications and accept students. But just because you’ve got your uni application in (and perhaps even have some offers) does not mean that this is a time to slacken up in your studies. Instead, you should really be concentrating on keeping up with your work so that you can make those expected grades and be a bit better prepared for undertaking university study. This is where improving your time management skills really comes into play. And if you’re already in university and about to start a new semester, improving your time management skills is definitely for you as well.

A great first step in improving your time management skills is to set daily goals for yourself. You can think about what you want to accomplish that day and write it down. There are a few essential things to remember here though. You need to be realistic about what you can accomplish. This is something that will improve over time, but it’s good to think about what you’ll actually get done right from the start. After all, creating a list and then not finishing any of it can lead you to feel badly about your day, meaning you won’t focus on all that you did accomplish. The other thing to do is to make your goals fairly concrete. Rather than saying “I will do some homework,” consider saying “I will read 3 chapters of my textbook.” This allows you to know when you’ve actually met that goal so you can check it off your list.

Another step in improving your time management skills is to reflect on your day each evening. This doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process. Just take a few minutes and ask yourself (why not write out your answers so you can keep track over time) what you accomplished that day, what you wish you had accomplished but didn’t, and what your intentions are for the next day. Over time, this will help you to understand how much you can realistically accomplish in a day, which will enable you to set appropriate goals in the future and really plan out how you’ll take on a project.

One last tip when working towards improving your time management skills is to focus on minimising distractions. This may mean limiting your time spent online, skipping lunch with friends if that often turns into a 3 hour social event, or not working in front of the television. Of course, you can have your splurge days to do this every once in a while, but generally speaking these things are not conducive to getting work done in an efficient manner, and will negatively affect your ability to meet your daily goals.

So remember that now is a great opportunity to really focus on improving your time management skills, which will result in you easily making those expected grades or even improving your academic performance overall. Additionally, if you figure out more efficient ways to work, you’ll have a lot more free time to spend doing things that are fun without needing to worry about what you ‘should’ be doing.