Do you know that the one-fifth of first-year university students in Australia drop out of their courses every year? In the US, the rate is as high as 30%. While there are several factors in play, not having enough time to attend the classes and solving the assignments remains one of the major reasons behind the increasing rate of dropouts at the higher education level.
If you are a student, you may have noticed that solving the due assignments on time is no cakewalk, especially if you have other engagements to attend. Availing the assistance of professional assignment experts may help at times, but that does not work in the student’s favour all the time. So, it is better to work on your time management skills.
This blog discusses 8 extremely useful tricks and tips that can help manage your time more effectively and finish the pending assignments on time. So, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
1. Plan your homework:
A majority of the successful people have one thing in common – they plan before they act. If you want your assignments to be done within the respective deadlines, you need to plan your homework and make sure you know what to do and how much to do. Whether you have just one assignment to solve or have multiple tasks to deliver next week, plan your time for each assignment accordingly.
If you have just one week to solve the pending assignments, decide how do you want to approach the tasks throughout the week. It will be better to attend the most difficult task first so that you get enough time to solve it with perfection. You can then solve the comparatively easier task without the worry of other pending assignments. It is better if you keep a record of all the assignments that you need to solve in the next few weeks.
2. Choose a distraction-free place for work:
How many times could you not finish your assignments because you got distracted while solving the tasks? Probably, a lot more times than you can think of. If you keep your smartphone with you while working on your assignments, there are high chances of getting distracted because of frequent notification alerts. If you want to finish your assignments on time, you cannot afford to get distracted.
While it is recommended to keep the phone switched off or on flight mode while working, you also need to make sure there is no other distraction. Ideally, you should study in a room that is quiet and clean. It is easier to concentrate on your assignments when you work in a distraction-free environment. Ask your roommates or family members not to disturb you while you work, if you want to get the assignment done on time.
3. Start early:
No matter how many tricks you try, there’s no alternative to an early start. If you can start working on your due assignments quite early, there are high chances of finishing the paper on time. Unfortunately, a majority of the students leave their assignments for the eleventh hour and then struggles to finish them on time. Usually, your instructor allows you enough time to get an assignment done properly. So, use that time.
It is possible that you may get several assignments in the same week. In such cases, you may need to prioritiese the difficult tasks as mentioned. However, you should lay the initial groundwork for all the assignments at hand, to at least have an idea of what to do with these assignments. When you are done with one assignment, you can get started with the next one without wasting any time, as you already know what you need to do.
4. Have clarity of your work:
For the timely completion of an assignment, students need to be very clear about the requirements of the task. It is recommended that you listen to the instructor carefully when he/she is assigning the task to the class. If anyone of those instructions seems confusing to you, you should ask the instructor and clarify your doubt. Also, if you have a query regarding the assignment, do not hesitate to ask the instructor.
Besides having clarity of the assignment requirements, you also need to be very clear about your approach. The trick is to prepare an outline for the assignment as soon as you break down the assignment topic. An outline not only provides a structure for the assignment but also makes sure you stay on track while working on the paper. You can avoid the unnecessary steps and measures if you have an outline for the task at hand.
5. Use online tools to your advantage:
A lot of students think of hiring online assignment experts when they struggle to finish their assignments on time. However, there is a useful alternative to those professional writers – online tools. On the internet, you can actually find a number of amazing tools that can help you complete your due assignment. In fact, there are several tools for every segment of the task.
For effective research work, you can use platforms like Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic. Grammarly and Hemingway are two of the most useful proofreading tools on the internet. You can use Citethisforme or Referencing Generator from Allessaywriter.com for quick referencing support. Also, there are plagiarism checkers like CopyScape and DupliChecker. If you are running behind your schedule, these tools can help accelerate the process.
6. Don’t multitask:
There’s a misconception among people that multitasking can help get several things done simultaneously. The fact is that multitasking actually slows down all the tasks and delays the results. If you think you can work on multiple things at one go and save time, you are making a mistake. It will be better if you finish one task and then focus on the next task at hand, no matter how small a task may seem.
If you have several assignments to finish, make sure you have finished the previous one before you start the next. Also, if you are working part-time, and think it will save your time if you get some of the assignment done during work, again, you are wrong. It is easier to focus on one task and get it done on time. If your focus continues to shift frequently, you cannot get anything done properly.
7. Take small breaks in between:
Assignment writing is not something that most students enjoy. If you also don’t like to spend hours working on such assignments, you need to make things a bit interesting for yourself. Instead of working relentlessly on the due assignment, give yourself some break in between the task. This will help you break the monotony of the task, and help you refresh your mind a bit. A break of 10-15 minutes after an hour-long session of study is ideal.
Monotonous tasks usually take a longer period of time to complete. By getting a few breaks in between, you can actually accelerate your productivity. Moreover, it is recommended to set small goals for the task and reward yourself with a cookie, chocolate, favourite beverage or some music every time you accomplish one of those goals. These rewards can push you even harder to finish the task on time.
8. Work with peers:
Whether you are in school or college, your professor is most likely to assign a common task for everyone in the class. That means, it is not just you who is trying to get the assignment done on time. Your peers are also trying to do the same. It can be a lot more interesting to work on the assignment with friends than doing it alone. In fact, working with peers has proven to be quite productive for students over the years.
When you work on the same assignment with friends, you can discuss the topic and get more insights from a different perspective on the topic. Also, you are more likely to reach the results faster when you work together. However, there is also a possibility of getting distracted from work when spending your time with friends. So, it is absolutely important to set ground rules for the group study and to use it for timely completion of the task.
In conclusion,
All these tips can help you finish your assignments quicker, but at the end of the day, time management is the key. Unless you are able to improve your time management skills, you are still going to struggle to finish the assignments on time. So, work hard on your time management skill, and you will definitely see a significant change in your academic performance in some time.
Author Bio:
Nathan William is an assignment expert who has been working with MyAssignmenthelp.com for the past 3 years. He holds a PhD in Sociology and has served as a guest lecturer in some of the reputed colleges in Australia. He also loves to volunteer for social work.
