Simple Ways to Save Time

Here are some easy ways to save time every day.

Use a planner. You may be used to making only mental notes for appointments and deadlines. MIT schedules become steadily more complex and your brain's short-term memory may overflow. Use your phone or iPod, a PDA, software on your computer, even a paper pocket calendar—whatever technology is easy for you to enter and retrieve information and receive reminders. Ironically, writing things down (or typing them in) actually helps your brain remember them.

Keep a daily to-do list. Also use your planner to list each task you hope to accomplish. Set the priority of each task and check off tasks as you accomplish them. Carry over to the next day those you did not complete. A To-Do List is a simple tool, but it saves you from wasting time worrying whether you've forgotten something.

Plan your study time. Each subject's syllabus gives you lots of clues as to when and how much you need to study each week. At the beginning of the term block out periods for psets, preparing for hour exams, and writing papers. Then you won't waste time each week figuring out what to do first. See Take Charge of Your Time for detailed help on this.

Break big tasks into smaller ones. Before you start on a large research project, a paper, or preparing for finals, divide it up into smaller tasks (for example, "Assemble lists of website to consult," "Get bibliography from TA," "Execute lab tests." This helps you focus on each task, eliminating time wasted worrying about how to get everything done. It also gives you a welcome sense of accomplishment as you check off each one. Try our Assignment Timeline as a framework for this process.

Organize your space, The old proverb, "A place for everything and everything in its place" says it all. Invest a little time in organizing now, and you'll save it many times over when you're in a last-minute rush and need your notebooks, soccer pads, water bottle, and snacks.

OHIO: Only Handle It Once. Sort postal mail into three piles, maybe using a desk organizer: items that need action (put them on your To-Do List), items to file for future reference, recycling. Handle your email and voicemail similarly; don't waste time saying, "Oh, I'll go back and read this more carefully some other time."

Stop the Time Thieves. Pick a quiet, comfortable study location where you are not likely be disturbed (see Where and When to Study), and tell your friends where you will be only if you can trust them not to interrupt you unnecessarily. Turn off your phone. If being online is too much of a temptation, turn off your computer's network connection. Concentrating on study now allows you to concentrate only on socializing later.

Make Waiting Productive. When you have just a few minutes between classes, on line, or on the T, review some note cards, touch up your lecture notes, continue with a reading assignment, or work on a problem set. Every minute counts.

More detail on saving time in Take Charge of Your Time