We know studying from home is not always easy. A lot of distractions, lack of supervision, comfort, and coziness of home can decrease one’s productivity. While working or studying from home has a lot of advantages and saves some commute time, managing one’s time can be challenging.
There are many time management techniques out there. However, to make them work, it’s also important to remember the most common mistakes. Here is the list of some common mistakes people do when trying to manage their time:
1. Making a to-do list
You will be surprised, but the to-do list is one of the most common mistakes in time management. Instead, a list of priorities should be made, with a maximum length of 6-8 points. The to-do list should be a memo of what you would like to add to your priority list. At the end of each day, move all uncompleted priorities up the list. You should only go to the next item on the priority list after completing the previous one. Go to the to-do list only when you solve your priority tasks.
2. Checking emails too often
When you take a break from studying to check email you get distracted and lose concentration. Try to do this in the most unproductive periods (for example, after lunch, when you are relaxed). Besides, limit the time for sending emails to 15-20 minutes when possible.
3. Distracting apps and notifications
Pop-up windows, app and message notifications are obstacles to effective work. Turn off all unnecessary notifications and uninstall applications you don’t use. If they are still necessary, you can always enable do-not-disturb or flight mode in your smartphone or tablet while you study.
4. Multitasking
Although, it may be a great skill to be able to switch between several tasks, and work on their solutions almost simultaneously. However, in practice, it is not always efficient. Each time you switch to another task, you lose concentration and energy, and the quality of work may decline too. Multitasking is good for simple activities, such as listening to a podcast while driving. However, complex intellectual work requires maximum concentration. It is better to dedicate a good amount of time or fully complete one task or assignment before moving to another one.
5. Keeping unread emails in the inbox
If you constantly postpone reading new emails, you don’t realize how quickly they pile up and turn into the “to-do list”. Try to deal with emails the day you receive them in your inbox. In this case, they will not clog your inbox and your head.
