Do you feel like you are busy all day but achieve nothing? This is "fake productivity." True time management isn't about squeezing more hours into the day; it's about getting more value out of the hours you have.
1. Parkinson's Law: The Deadline Magic
"Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." If you give yourself 2 weeks to write an assignment, it will take 2 weeks. If you give yourself 2 days, you will finish it in 2 days.
The Hack: Set artificial, aggressive deadlines. Tell yourself you must finish a chapter by 4 PM, even if you have all night. This forces focus and efficiency.
2. The Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize Ruthlessly
Divide your tasks into four quadrants:
- Urgent & Important: Do it now (e.g., Exam tomorrow).
- Not Urgent & Important: Schedule it (e.g., Starting a project due next month). This is where success happens.
- Urgent & Not Important: Delegate or Minimize (e.g., Replying to non-critical emails).
- Not Urgent & Not Important: Delete (e.g., Doomscrolling).
Most students spend too much time in the "Urgent & Not Important" quadrant.
3. Eat That Frog
Mark Twain said, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning."
Your "frog" is your hardest, most dreaded task. Do it first thing in the morning when your willpower is highest. Once the frog is eaten, the rest of the day feels easy. Don't start your day with easy tasks; you'll drain your energy before you get to the hard stuff.
4. The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)
80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. In studying, 80% of your marks come from understanding 20% of the core concepts.
Apply it: Identify the "high-yield" topics in your syllabus—the ones that appear in every exam. Master those first before worrying about the obscure details.
5. Batch Processing
Every time you switch tasks, you pay a "cognitive switching penalty." It takes ~23 minutes to regain deep focus.
The Fix: Batch similar tasks. Check emails/messages only 3 times a day. Do all your printing/admin work in one go. Do all your math practice in one block. Stop multitasking.
6. The "Do Not Disturb" Mode
This is simple but ignored. When studying, your phone should be in another room or on "Do Not Disturb." One notification can derail 30 minutes of focus. Protect your attention like it's gold.
Final Thought: You have the same 24 hours as Einstein and Elon Musk. It's not about having time; it's about making time.
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Written by Coach Michael D'Souza
Expert educator and content creator passionate about making quality education accessible to all students across India.
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