What are the Time Management Skills for a Student in Istanbul?
Possessing time management skills is something every student in Istanbul, regardless of their educational level, should strive to acquire, as managing time is crucial for balancing one’s academic, social, and recreational life.
In this article, we will help you learn the steps to acquire effective time management skills and introduce the tools that will help you manage your time in an organized manner. Additionally, we will explain how important it is to learn these skills and how they positively impact a student’s performance.
Key Time Management Skills for a Student in Istanbul That You Must Possess:
By following the tips below, you will find that you have enough time to complete your assignments without feeling overwhelmed, while also enjoying some personal time to pursue your hobbies or relax at one of Istanbul’s recreational centers.
1- Setting a List of Your Goals:
Sit down with yourself, think deeply, and write down the goals or tasks you wish to accomplish as a university student, ranking them from most to least important. In addition to academic goals, you should also have other objectives, such as developing your skills and abilities in a particular field, perhaps working part-time, learning a new language, volunteering in community activities, and other ambitions.
2- Determining Your Daily Tasks:
After making a list of long-term goals according to priority, now create another list specifying the tasks you wish to complete daily.
You can prepare this list on a weekly basis, as daily tasks may vary from one week to another. Just sit quietly and think carefully about what you want to do each day of the week that will help you achieve part of your long-term goals.
3- Dividing Your Time:
One of the most important time management skills for a student in Istanbul is setting specific study and revision hours in a timetable. It is best to start with the subjects you are passionate about by placing them at the beginning of your schedule, followed by other subjects. This approach helps you begin your study sessions with enthusiasm.
Apart from studying, also allocate sufficient time for leisure activities—such as going out with friends, practicing your favorite sport, or engaging in any activity that relaxes and pleases you—as studying for long periods can exhaust your mind and negatively affect your cognitive abilities.
4- Minimizing Distractions as Much as Possible:
Do not waste too much time on activities that distract you, such as social media. Since it is impossible to avoid them completely, it is advisable to allocate specific hours for their use and commit to not exceeding that time.
5- Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle:
Try to stick to regular exercise, eat healthily, and get sufficient sleep. You will notice a positive impact on your mood first and then on your daytime energy, which in turn will boost your productivity.
6- Scheduling and Organizing Meal Times:
Another key time management skill for a student in Istanbul is to avoid consuming heavy or high-sugar meals immediately before studying, as this increases the levels of amylin, glucagon, and cholecystokinin—hormones that raise blood sugar levels and create a feeling of fullness. Additionally, the brain releases serotonin, which causes drowsiness. Therefore, it is best for a student to eat healthily and to have their meal at least two hours before studying.
It is also advisable to set specific meal times and stick to them, as this has a positive effect on one’s health.
7- Adhering to the Study Schedule and Avoiding Procrastination:
In a study published in the mental health magazine "Today Psychology" by a group of researchers from Reserve Western University in the United States, it was found that university students who postpone their tasks end each semester suffering from various illnesses, high levels of stress, and low academic performance.
8- Attending University Regularly:
Attending lectures at the university helps you understand the material when studying on your own at home, thus preventing you from spending more time than necessary on your studies.
9- Breaking Down Large Tasks into Smaller Steps:
A student often feels fear and anxiety when required to write a long research paper or study for a difficult exam, which negatively affects productivity. To avoid this, it is preferable to break the task into smaller parts and spread them out over a longer period.
With that, we conclude the steps you should follow to become proficient in managing your time and achieve remarkable success in your academic studies. Now, let’s move on to the tools that will help you achieve this goal.
What Are the Tools That Will Help You Manage Your Time?
You cannot master time management skills as a student in Istanbul without relying on some tools designed to help you do so. These include:
1- Mind Maps:
Many people prefer to use mind maps to break down and organize tasks rather than leaving things scattered and chaotic. It’s like cutting out the tangled information in your mind and pasting it onto a mind map, with the aim of clearing your mind to accomplish tasks one by one.
There are several programs and websites that can help you design mind maps, such as "MS PowerPoint."
2- Notebooks:
A notebook helps you write down all the random ideas that cross your mind so that you can later revise or delete them.
You don’t necessarily need paper and pen for this process; you can use many mobile applications, such as the simple Keep app, which you can link to your account so that your notes are automatically updated and easily recoverable in case your phone loses data.
3- Calendars:
The importance of calendars lies in their ability to remind you of your important appointments, such as university lectures or meetings with someone. Tools like "Google Calendar" are very helpful due to their ease of use and the ability to automatically sync with your account.
What Is a Student’s Academic Life Like in Turkey?
A university student in Turkey goes to their university at exactly 7:00 AM every day. Upon arrival, the student has breakfast, then attends classes until 1:00 PM, after which a one-hour lunch break begins. Following this, students continue with their academic day, which ends at 5:00 PM. As for holidays, the university is closed on Sundays and half of Saturday.
Is Time Management Important?
Learning time management skills as a student in Istanbul is not just about getting tasks done; it is about organizing them by priority and executing them accordingly.
Therefore, time management is extremely important for anyone who is required to complete many tasks—like a student. Effective time management helps in breaking down tasks and placing them within a schedule instead of proceeding in a random manner.
This concludes our article on how to acquire time management skills as a student in Istanbul. It is worth noting that effectively organizing and managing your time is the key to success and graduating from university with the skills and expertise that enable you to achieve your professional goals, as well as fulfilling your personal and social life in all aspects.
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