Work and reward: tips to manage your time

Student Storyteller Amna Qazi reflects on the struggle of maintaining a work-life balance that has helped her improve and maintain productivity.

Time management. We’ve all heard that term repeated over and over, but let’s be honest, managing your time is hard to do, and it’s even harder to figure out a method that works for you. 

As a student, I always feel inundated with hundreds of items to tick off the to-do list. I was overwhelmed and feeling lost. I wanted to manage my time better so I can be more effective in my studying—and have some downtime as well. So I checked out the TRU website and found tons of info about time management. As I read, I realized I was doing a lot of the things it advised, but I also did a lot of multitasking and could easily get distracted. 

I learned more about breaking my time into dedicated blocks, and then consulted the wisdom of Google and discovered a world of time management methods, like the Pomodoro method. 

The Pomodoro method is a time management system that consists of designated blocks of time for focused work and then a short break. These time slots are usually 25 minutes of work and five minutes of break. It’s a perfect cycle of work and reward.  

Now admittedly, once I open an internet tab, I can get a little distracted, so I downloaded an app on my computer to time myself and stay on track.

On the first Pomodoro day, I was still getting distracted by my own thoughts, so I made myself a thought parking lot. That way, I was able to get my thoughts out of my head so I wouldn’t forget, and I did not have the excuse to go off on a productivity detour via an internet rabbit hole. Once I started doing this, I noticed a surge in productivity. I got work done faster and it felt much less daunting.

If you’re looking for some time management guidance or a starting point for your search, check out this TRU website for useful information and TRU’s YouTube channel for lots of videos on student success strategies.