Effective Time Management During Exam Review Courses: Balancing Preparation and Work

Exams are daunting. Oftentimes, they define a person's career. It can change the trajectory of where they're going and give them the green light to their dreams or stop them in their tracks. Taking an exam is pivotal. The emphasis that people often put on these exams is great, and more often than not, put too heavily on the actual exam and not enough on the preparation portion. Preparing for an exam takes time, energy, and a new level of productivity that people don't know how to manage.

Productivity itself is a rather controversial term right now. That's not to say that being productive is bad, but oftentimes, it's too closely conflated with overachieving, burnt-out individuals who end up binging on their favorite Netflix show by day 4 of their shiny new routine. That's because they're not trying to figure out what works for them individually. Instead, they're taking the exact principles of what works for a different person and trying to fit their lives and their tasks into that idealized version of what they think they should be.

Time management isn't a skill that can be picked up as easily as holding a paintbrush. Instead, creating a masterpiece of balance takes time and intentional effort. Moving forward, we'll discuss strategies that work so you can create a time management plan that helps you balance your exam review course and work simultaneously in a way that won't lead to devastation, frustration, and burnout.

Effective Time Management: Strategies that Work

In order to figure out what works for you in this period of your life, it's important to look at all the facets of your life and personality in order to balance preparation for exams and work. Here are some strategies you can implement as you move into this new period of life.

1. Conduct an audit on your time. Your time is yours to do as you wish. The running theme in life is that we don't have time for anything. That's not true. Our time belongs to us. It's up to us to determine the time we have available for different things, such as work, play, personal edification, family, etc. Using a calendar, write down what you do with your days. If you have a large block of time that's specific to work, then block that off with a marker, but only the time actually spent at work. This will look different for everybody since remote and freelance work is becoming increasingly popular. For instance, where a 9-5 job is pretty standardized, a remote worker can work in chunks throughout the day.

From there, block out any classes or family time you know can't be changed. As you work through this, you'll be able to see sections of time open up that you can fit your studying into.

2. Determine the most and least important tasks. Use something like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize your to-do list. The Eisenhower Matrix helps you define the most important work that needs to get done by determining what's urgent and important, allowing you to put those at the top of the list. For instance, a project with a rapidly approaching deadline would be both urgent and important, requiring it to be done first.

3. Work in time batches with set goals for the batch. Combine these first two concepts to determine which task goes where based on its importance and urgency. The Pomodoro method works well for making sure that you use your time efficiently. Attach a specific goal to the time you've allotted. For instance, working through a video and its accompanying worksheets could be considered one goal. By assigning a goal to your time chunks and sticking to the plan, you'll be able to see how long the entire course will take you and reliably complete the course along with all of your regular workload.

4. Focus on one goal for one batch. Be careful not to over-assign your task blocks. By making sure you focus only on what you can complete in, say, a 30-minute time block, you eliminate the tendency to overbook yourself and set yourself up for failure. Unless you know that you can definitely complete more than one, keep it simple.

5. Find an effective way to track your goals and outcomes. Time management is only as good as your system of tracking. Notion, Google Calendar, and a notepad are all valid and effective ways to track your goals and tasks. You just need to find one that works for you. Heart Breathings, a YouTube channel focused on productivity and living your ideal life, has the HB90 method of tracking and managing tasks on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis and is a good place to start.

6. Reward yourself. For highly productive people, one of the most satisfying parts of completing something is marking it off of a list, whether it's physical, digital, mental, or a combination of all three. Find a way that's satisfying for you that shows your progress and helps keep up that forward momentum. Studying for these types of exams is grueling and tends to be a major stressor for most people. When you complete a larger goal, such as a section of the review, or make it through the week alive, reward yourself with a walk, an ice cream, or something indulgent that feels like a prize. This helps with internal and external motivation.

7. Block out distractions. Studying takes a lot of concentration. It takes a person an average of 20 minutes to hit that "flow state" of concentration, and that's really only if there is little to no distraction. This doesn't happen very well when kids are running around, construction is happening in the apartment beside you, or a cell phone is within reach. When you know it's time to study, find a quiet place, whether it's a library, a cafe, or a corner in the closet; make sure you're set up right. Realistically, make sure your physical space is clear of garbage and clutter, and use an app like Flora. This app keeps your phone busy growing a tree. If you close the app, the tree dies, and that mostly makes people sad enough to leave their phones alone for a while.

8. Prioritize your health. Listen. Junk food may have been all the rage for study food in college, but you're older now. Put away the Doritos and Red Bull and drink some water instead. Stretch. The better you feed your body, the better you'll be able to focus, the longer you'll be able to sit in a chair happily studying, and the more you'll absorb the information you're looking for.

9. Avoid burnout at all costs. Burnout is the stage of doing anything for so long that your emotional well has run dry, and you have nothing left to give. Sometimes, it can last a few days, sometimes a few weeks, or months. If there's anything you don't have time for, this is it. So, returning to the last point, feed your body well, stretch, and exercise, but also find things that refill that well of energy you need. Refocus on your goal. Find more ways to motivate you internally so you can feel that desire to study. Balancing work and exam review is difficult enough when you're feeling well, but the work still has to get done when you don't.

10. Learn to increase your attention span. We have a major problem with being able to focus on anything for more than a minute. In fact, if something doesn't catch our attention in the first five seconds, we're likely to scroll right past it. Sure, we might give it up to fifteen seconds, but if it's not adding value to our existence, then we don't want it. However, this is an area we can't afford to have fifteen-second attention spans. Find focus music to help, practice meditation, and don't let yourself be a distraction.

11. Develop a support system. Find people to lean on. This can be parents, friends, a spouse, or that weird lady down the hall who always says hello. If you have people who know what you're trying to accomplish, you're more likely to do the work than let it fall by the wayside. A support system isn't only there to catch you when you fall. It's there to keep you from falling in the first place.

Time management isn't a skill you can master in a day, week, or even a year. It's an ongoing process that leads to massive success. By learning how to manage your time effectively in a way that works for you, you'll be able to manage the changing state of your work life and balance your exam review course masterfully.

Time management is especially important during an engineering, project management, or architecture exam prep course. Check out School of PE's courses today to learn more about how we can help you take your career to the next level!

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.