Five Ways to Manage Study Time, Plus Lifestyle Changes to Meet Your Goals

October 16, 2025  |  by Heidi Wells, Global Campus  |  min read



Many University of Arkansas students and graduates have been quoted on The Online Learner blog since it began publishing in March 2022. The blog focuses on education delivered online, and one thing that comes up time and time again is the importance of good time management on success.

Time management is important for success in many areas of life, of course.

For students who study online, however, the flexibility that makes it possible for them to pursue higher education also means they have to manage their time wisely to get the work done when they have the time to do it around work and family responsibilities.

 

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Lifestyle Choices

Some students have found dedicating time every day or every week in a non-negotiable schedule works well.

Bryce Bennett made a habit of rising at 4:30 a.m. every other Saturday to drive to his office in the Conway School District from his home in Greenbrier, Arkansas. He worked steadily there until lunchtime, when he would return home to spend the rest of the day with his family – his wife, Autumn, and their three children.

“I get more done when I sit for hours at a time,” Bennett said. “I spend the first hour locking in. After that, it goes pretty quick. I get to eat lunch with them and do something fun. It’s a routine they’ve gotten used to.”

Bennett earned a Doctor of Education in educational leadership in the spring of 2025.

Delegating work, or dividing responsibilities, is another effective way to ensure everything gets done on time. Shannon Boyd of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Emma Raines of Newport, Tennessee; and Mandy Armstrong of Genoa, Arkansas, all reported a shift in responsibilities in their homes when they were earning degrees. Their husbands took on more work, which freed up their wives to concentrate on homework assignments, studying for tests and writing papers.

“I’ve got three kids,” Boyd said. “My husband had to take on other things that he may not have done that I used to always do so I could get my classwork in and get everything done that I needed to.”

Boyd earned a Bachelor of Human Resource Development, Raines earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in supply chain management and Armstrong earned a Bachelor of Science in human development and family sciences.

Online coaches available through Global Campus also offer advice on scheduling to effectively manage time.

Kati Williams, the online student coaching coordinator, suggests students use a planner. It can be pen and paper or a digital tool used to organize your schedule.

"It may sound cliché, but writing down due dates, upcoming tests, and other important deadlines can make a huge difference," she said. "I always suggest that students review their syllabus during the first week of classes and note every assignment and exam date right away."

 

Learning from Podcasts

Students who can squeeze in a few minutes to listen to a podcast have a vast array of choices when it comes to the topic of time management.

  • On Beyond the To-Do List, Erik Fisher interviews productivity experts and authors about putting productivity strategies to work in both your professional and personal life. A recent episode with Shawn Lemon covered digital organization because, when you study online, your computer can become your filing system.
  • Before Breakfast, hosted by Laura Vanderkam, delivers a single, actionable time management strategy in each episode, good for busy adults who need quick, practical tips on how to make the most of their time at work and home.
  • The Daily Stoic is not strictly a time management podcast, but host Ryan Holiday offers daily, 2- to 20-minute episodes helping listeners learn to manage their emotions, ignore distractions and focus on what they can control. Holiday teaches a philosophy of self-control as a means of staying productive.
  • The team at Asian Efficiency created The Productivity Show focusing on building smart systems and workflows to help you get more done without burnout. It covers tactical strategies such as time-blocking, habit-tracking and goal-setting.
  • Computer science professor and author Cal Newport hosts Deep Questions to address listener questions about working and living deeply in a distracted world. It challenges the "hustle culture" mindset and focuses on long-term thinking and attention management.

 

At Your Desk

The Online Learner offers practical tips for setting up your study space for success, too. Once settled in, there are several techniques you can try for best – and most efficient – results.

  • Pomodoro Method
    On The Time & Attention Podcast, host and author Chris Bailey explains that this method (named for the Italian word for tomato, which was the shape of a kitchen timer its creator Francesco Cirillo used) requires 25 minutes of study followed by a 5 minute-break. The idea is to establish a rhythm of working to maintain energy over time. Bailey describes the rigidity of the technique, how it fits with the idea of flow, and why it’s appealing to many people. One point he discusses with his wife and co-host, Ardyn, is that you will naturally take breaks anyway and the Pomodoro Method can make those breaks more productive. He also describes a resistance list he created of tasks he doesn’t want to do. If he works on one a little each day, he lowers his resistance to it specifically and other things in general. His wife offers several counter-arguments to Bailey’s points.

  • Eisenhower Matrix
    On the Robot Voices – Deep Dives podcast, the hosts, who are described as AI explorers, explain this method by which the user organizes tasks by urgency and importance. It’s named after a quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. president and Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe who planned and led the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II. The idea of the matrix is to tackle the high-priority items first, schedule others and cut out the least important. A user creates a quadrant with tasks placed in one of four sections: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important and neither in order to guide prioritization and delegation. The method has some drawbacks, and the hosts suggest ways to address those to make it more effective.

  • Kanban Method
    On the Agile Mentors Podcast, host Brian Milner interviews Kert Peterson about Kanban, a system of tracking tasks by putting them into three categories: to do, doing, and done. At its most basic, it’s a way of looking at a project visually by putting tasks into columns on a Kanban board. This podcast and many others on the topic approach Kanban from the perspective of using it in business. However, a few simple tips can help a student also benefit from it: Treat courses, assignments, readings as “work items” or “tasks”; use a simple board: to do → in progress → done; set a work-in-progress limit so you don’t get overwhelmed; use swimlanes (rows) if you want to categorize tasks (e.g. “writing,” “reading,” “research”; replenish only when capacity allows, meaning don’t overload your board just because you can; and periodically reflect: what’s blocking my tasks? What can I remove, combine, or delay?

  • Time Blocking
    On the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, host Katie Azevedo describes what time blocking is, why it matters and why you might want to use it, high level strategies for implementing time blocking and common mistakes to avoid on an episode titled “How to Use Time Blocking for Better Focus and Productivity.” Study.com says time blocking is about planning chunks of your day around types of activities — like setting aside a block for studying, another for meetings, and another for catching up on email. It helps you stay organized and make sure you’re spending time where it matters most.

  • Task Boxing
    Study.com describes this as setting a strict time limit for each task. When time runs out, move on to avoid perfectionism or wasting time. The term is not commonly found in a search for podcast topics. However, using this technique could be helpful in improving your estimation of how long certain tasks will take – through trial and error. Task boxing takes time blocking a step further, according to Study.com. Instead of just blocking time for a general activity, you assign a specific task to that block and give yourself a firm time limit. For example, instead of “writing,” you might block time for “write 300 words of an essay introduction.” When the time’s up, you move on, helping you stay focused and avoid getting stuck.

If you are enrolled in an online program delivered by the University of Arkansas, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning, which includes many courses on productivity, time management, procrastination and related topics.

The U of A offers more than 100 online degrees, certificates and licensure programs. And even more non-credit training programs to upskill and reskill.



Photo of Heidi Wells

Heidi Wells

Content Strategist

Heidi Wells is the content strategist for the Global Campus at the University of Arkansas and editor of The Online Learner. Her writing spans more than 30 years as a communicator at the U of A and a reporter and editor at Arkansas newspapers. Wells earned two degrees from the U of A: a master's in 2013 and a bachelor's in 1988.

Wells can be reached at heidiw@uark.edu or 479-575-7239.

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