Dissertation writing is one of the most daunting task for nursing students. And one of its biggest challenge is Time management.
Yeah, you must have heard that time is money. Well, here, time is grades.
Being a nursing student is not easy. They are always juggling with their studies, house jobs, exams, assignments and what not. So, life is really tough for them. And it gets really hard for them to manage their time effectively and complete everything with perfection.
But off course, dissertation is not something they can miss. It is one of the most important milestone that they must achieve to get their degree.
So, what can be done?
Well, the only thing that you need is to manage your time effectively. Once you did that, half of your problems will be solved.
Yeah, it is the key to your perfect academic life.
I know it sounds almost impossible with so many tasks on your shoulders. But trust me, with smart planning, you can achieve all of it.
Stop worrying, and I will tell you exactly how you can do that.
Time Management Hacks for Nursing Students
Here are the top time management hacks for nursing students to help them lead their academic lives with success without worrying about deadlines. Here we go:
Start with a Weekly Plan
The first thing that you need is a weekly planner. Yeah, it just takes 10-15 minutes to create it. But it will set your life on track.
Here is what it must include:
Lecture times
Clinical placement shifts
Slots for study
Time for assignment writing
Personal Commitments
Always remember that breaks are really important. So, don't miss them. Think of them as your charger that charges you like your phone charger.
Set Daily To-Do List
Well, you got your weekly schedule. But you need to make sure that you achieve something through it. So, just working on your dissertation is not enough. But you need to know what you must achieve that day.
So, set daily to do list for yourself as per your schedule and work accordingly. Like completing chapter 3, writing discussion part.
Just make sure that it's realistic and practical.
Prioritize your Tasks
Not every single task is equally important. Therefore, you must work on your dissertations accordingly.
Thus, prioritize your tasks as per your deadlines and importance and make sure that you work on the most urgent tasks first to avoid missing your deadlines.
Seek Assistance When Needed
I know it is not always possible to meet all of your deadlines. Sometimes mishaps happens like clashing deadlines or unable to complete tasks on time.
Thus, on such occasions you must learn to work more smartly then stressing over your situation. There are lots of professional Dissertation writing services out there that can help you get out of this situation.
They are experts and know how to write a good dissertation. Thus, always ask for help at the right time to ensure timely delivery of your tasks.
Break Big Tasks into Smaller Steps
Writing a dissertation is not something that you can do in a flow. But it requires weeks or even months to complete. Therefore, instead of stressing over its complexity. It is better to just break down your complex tasks into smaller and manageable ones.
This will make this much easier and more convenient for you. For instance, you can break dissertation writing into:
Choosing a Topic
Gathering right sources
Conducting literature review
Writing intro
It will make it much more manageable for nursing students.
Use Pomodoro Technique
Have you ever heard of this one? Well, it's great to manage your time effectively while not getting exhausted. Let me tell you how it works:
Work for 25 minutes
Take 5 minute short break
Repeat this 4 times
Then, take a long break of 15-30 minutes
This is an old yet useful technique that helps you keep your brain fresh and focused.
Avoid Multitasking
I know it might sound strange to you. But you must really think twice before multitasking. Well, it surely saves time, but only when you are an expert at a task at hand.
If you are doing something for the very first time, like dissertation writing, it will only create a mess for you. So, focus on one task at a time. And move to the other one after completing the task at hand.
Learn to Say "No" Sometimes
Well, it might sound offensive to many people, but you must learn to do it.
Being a nursing student, your schedule is already jam packed. Thus, its okay to say no to things that are not your priority.
Students often commit to other unimportant things like writing for a friend or taking an extra shift because they just can't say no.
That is why I say that it's an important skill that one must learn to save time.
Use Digital Tools
We are living in the world of technology. So, it would be unfair if we just avoid them like they don't exist. Trust me, these tools are created for your own betterment.
So, use them and make your lives easy. There are various online tools for different things like:
Google Calendar to plan your day or week
Trello to organize your tasks or deadlines
Grammarly to edit and proofread your content
Evernote to take notes and save ideas
There are plenty of them out there that you just need to explore. And you have no idea how much time you can save through them.
Reflect and Improve Your Routine
Finally, reflect on your routine in a week or two to make sure that things are going your way.
Reflection is really important to make things right for you that ain't going your way. So, take time and check your progress and see if things are working as planned.
Final Words
In a nutshell, dissertation writing is one of the most important milestones in the life of a nursing student. But the biggest hurdle on their way is lack of time.
So, if they learn to manage their time effectively, they can easily complete their dissertations on time without missing deadlines. All you need to do is follow these tips, and you will know how to do it. Best of Luck! I am sure that you can do it.
