Priorities

There are many types of UoN students; part time or full time workers, parent and / or partners, Uni students, and more...  On top of the 10 hours spent on each course weekly you will have regular work and personal commitments with whom you may need to dedicate more of your time. This is a lot of work!

The balance of employment, Uni study and personal time can seem very difficult to manage. We do understand that studying at University doesn't mean all these other commitments just go away. As a student, it is important to prioritise your workload to ensure that you are dedicating time to all aspects of your life.

Prioritising is one of the most important skills related to time management and can greatly increase your Uni productivity. This in turn can help you to create a balance that works for you. The easiest place to start is by creating a To-Do list. This can include all upcoming jobs - not just Uni information. By writing everything down you may be able to find tasks which are less urgent or can be delegated to colleages (additional work) or family and friends (personal tasks).

If you are trying to get maximum uni results with the time that you have set aside, it is worthwhile looking at how much time is allocated to graded tasks. Do you have a weekly quiz worth 3%? How many hours are you spending on this? In most cases, the answer should be much less than the hours allocated to your 20% essay. Try to be strategic with the time that you have available for study and remember that the effort you put in should be proportionate to the value of the assessment. This may vary from subject to subject, depending on your skills and knowledge of the content. Remember to manage your available time and resources to work smarter this semester.

If you're struggling with the skills of time management, Learning Development are a great place to start. Why not check out their Blackboard site to book an individual consultation or read their great online resources.

Counselling can also help you by providing resources on how to manage your work / life balance. Check out the Counselling Resources here.