Mastering time management: Tips and tools every student needs

Opening the episode, Holly reflected on her own experience when she was a university student: 

“I remember thinking I had all the time in the world, and then suddenly deadlines were creeping up with social plans that I still wanted to make… and I needed to sleep. Well, that was always kind of optional!” 

Kesh agreed and put it bluntly: “It’s like every time you blink, your to-do list grows a mile longer.” 

The image sticks because it’s true. That feeling of constantly falling behind, no matter how early you start, is a shared experience for students across the globe. Holly and Kesh went on to explain how they got through it. 

Kesh shared a simple study technique that she had religiously used as a student. This is a commonly used simple method that breaks study time into focused 25-minute bursts followed by short breaks. 

“It’s basically breaking down your study sessions into small, manageable chunks,” explained Kesh. “So, you study for like 25 minutes at a stretch, then take a five-minute break, and after four rounds of studying, you take a longer break. It’s as simple as that.” 

Interesting fact about the Pomodoro Technique: It was developed by Francesco Cirillo in 1987 when he was a university student. The name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer he used while experimenting with the method (pomodoro means tomato in Italian). 

Pomodoro Technique

Holly brought up ‘time-blocking’, a method of blocking out fixed time slots on your calendar for all your tasks. For her, it was a game-changer. 

“I often use time blocking when I’m studying, so I would plan out my study sessions in advance on Google Calendar and it would just let me know what I planned on studying that day and how long I dedicated to each task.”  

Kesh also pointed out how helpful she finds this tool: “I love how you can opt in to get little reminders of the task and events you have set for the day on Google Calendar.” 

Studies have shown that poor time management can cost people several hours a day, making time-blocking an incredibly useful tool for students trying to stay on track. 

Time blocking using Google Calendar

Another game-changer discussed by Holly and Kesh is Notion, a popular app for organising everything from lecture notes to life plans. 

Holly shared how useful the app has been for her, even well into her adult life: 

“Oh my God, it’s such a useful app. I still use it today. I love how it allows you to design different pages and setups... it just gives me somewhere to keep all my lists, all my plans, all my study notes, just absolutely everything in one place.”  

Kesh agreed wholeheartedly and shared that students like her, who tend to get easily distracted, can reach peak productivity by pairing Notion with a time-tracking app. That’s where Toggl enters the conversation. 

Notion

“Toggl is great for tracking how much time you spend on tasks” Kesh shared. "It helps you avoid getting stuck on one thing for too long, which honestly is something I tend to do all the time.” 

Holly, having never used Toggl before, is now pretty convinced it’s worth a try after Kesh’s glowing recommendation. 

Toggl for time tracking

Smart time management isn’t just about apps and calendars. Some of the best time-savers are practical life hacks, like prepping your meals in advance. 

“I found that meal prep was a really great way to save time, especially in the evenings,” said Holly. “And, I mean, it saved me a little bit of money too.” 

“Meal prep is definitely underrated,” Kesh agreed. “It’s such a neat hack to not just save time and money, but to also make sure that you’re actually eating healthily, while having a fully packed schedule.” 

However, it’s important to also be wise about your meal prep and try to include a healthy variety of food to ensure you're meeting all your nutritional needs. 

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This episode is a reminder that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to time management. Whether it’s Pomodoro technique, a detailed Notion board, or just having your meals prepped for the week, what matters most is finding what works for you. 

Want to hear the full conversation? Listen to the complete episode of When I Was a Student Ep 2 now.