Studying at London Metropolitan University

A common job interview question is:

How would you answer that question? 

At university you will have assignment deadlines, lectures, seminars and reading. You will need to juggle this with any work, social and life commitments.  It's important, therefore, to have a strategy for how you will manage your time and prioritise your workload in order to meet deadlines and succeed.

⏰ Allocate set hours for independent study/learning

You will be expected to study independently outside your lecture/seminar time.  Set yourself compulsory study hours and stick to them.  

⏰ Make a weekly and a term timetable

On a weekly calendar, plot out your assignment deadlines, lectures, seminars, and block out time for independent learning.  Setting a timetable will help you visualise what needs to be done when.  A term timetable will also highlight key events like deadlines for coursework, projects and exams.  You could do this on paper: use an academic diary or print a template from the internet.  Or you might use an online calendar, this has the benefit that you can access it on any device.

⏰ Keep a to do list

A 'to do' list can help your productivity by allowing you to plan out and prioritise your tasks to ensure they are completed on time.  Having a clear picture of what you need to get done can also help prevent you feeling overwhelmed.  You could do this on paper but a digital to do list offers lots of benefits- see our section 'Stay organised with Microsoft To Do'.

⏰ Take a break

Don't forget to schedule in time for breaks.  Go for a 20 minutes walk, take some time away from your screen.  This will help you to process and organise your thoughts.  

The Urgent-Important Matrix

This approach helps you to prioritise tasks by dividing them into four sections. You then allocate your tasks into the appropriate section.  This will help you focus on the most important tasks and prioritise your time accordingly.  In descending order of priority:

1. Important and Urgent: these are tasks with deadlines and that will have consequences if not completed- think assignments!  Try to plan and schedule your tasks so that you complete them in plenty of time and they don't become urgent.
2. Important but Not Urgent: these tasks often don't have deadlines, or have future deadlines, but are still important to achieve your goals.  It's easy to procrastinate on these ones, so set your own deadlines/schedules so they don't get forgotten.  Reading, planning and preparation for assignments might fall into this category.  
3. Not Important but Urgent: these tasks can block you from achieving what is important to you.  For example, a friend asking you to check their work or responding to unimportant emails/social media messages.  Only focus on these once you've achieved what you need to for 1 and 2.  If they are quick tasks, complete them but don't prioritise them.  If they are not important to you and threaten you completing 1 and 2, you can always say no or be honest about your timescales.
4. Not Important and Not Urgent: these are your classic distractions that can get in the way of achieving your important tasks. Like social media scrolling!  Ok in moderation, just make sure it's not taking time away from your other tasks.

To find out more and how to apply the Urgent- Important matrix see: Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle - Using Time Effectively, Not Just Efficiently (mindtools.com)

Pomodoro

This is a great one to help you focus on your tasks.  It uses a timer to set periods of focused work called 'pomodoros' (usually 25 minutes) followed by short breaks. You get a longer break after a set amount of 'pomodoros'. This helps keep you engaged in the work you are doing, reduces distractions and can improve focus and concentration.

You can read more about the technique here: Pomodoro® Technique - Time Management Method (pomodorotechnique.com)

There are lots of free timers available online, e.g. Time to focus! (pomofocus.io) You can set the tasks that need to be done and adjust the timings if required. 

Digital apps can help with this as you can access them from any device, search for your tasks and easily prioritise the work you need to do.  We recommend Microsoft To Do.  Sign in with your London Met university email address and password.

Why we love it ♥

• Add due dates to your tasks so you can meet your deadlines.
• Break down tasks into manageable steps.
• Focus on what matters- add only today's tasks to 'My Day'.
• Create themed lists e.g. you could have different lists for different modules.
• Easily prioritise and sort your tasks- mark things as important.
• Works with Outlook and Teams- flag emails and Teams chats to create them as tasks within your ToDo lists.

Help and training

• To Do help & learning (microsoft.com)