It can be difficult to manage the workload for various courses and all the other assignments you are required to do as a student, all at the same time. Thankfully, I understood the need to plan my time and work well and in advance, so that I wasn’t stressed when the time came for deadlines and submissions. Here are my top tips to help you prepare for academic life at LSE:

Plan ahead

To plan my work better I use an application to organise my to-dos, for the day and for my entire degree. I make a separate list for each courses and all deadlines, including daily work tasks. This helps me get a clearer picture of what I need to do for the day and how the rest of my term will look like when compared with the work I have for my other courses. If I know the work that is due in the coming weeks, I am able to plan better and start early if there is a need to.

Schedule your tasks

I also try to dedicate a set amount of time every day for the work I need to do. Often, we find ourselves sitting in front of our laptops not able to get work done but also not able to turn it off and do something else because of guilt. This is why I find dedicating a set amount of time for each task helps me get through them quicker and more efficiently while also leaving time for me to do other things.

Promodoro Technique

Another thing that I find useful is the Pomodoro Technique. A friend of mine introduced me to this time management technique when I complained that I’m not able to focus on some tasks for a lot of time. This technique is based on 25-minute stretches of focused work followed by five-minute breaks and then work again. I have found this to be extremely useful as it helps me be focused and get a lot of work done.

Everyone has different ways to manage their workload and time. It takes a bit of experimentation to understand what works for you and what doesn’t but try to figure it out in the beginning of the term so that you are able to settle into a routine quickly and don’t feel stressed when the workload increases.