8 Powerful Time Management Quotes for students

Time Management Quotes for Students: This article is dedicated for students to making the best use of time. Apart from work, I recall that the most stressful times about managing time were during the early times of being a student. It is perhaps because our time management skills are at their inception and we get better at it with experience. The collection of quotes is curated for students to inspire, engage thoughts and spark different thoughts about how best to use limited time.

The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: “I did not have time.”

Franklin Field

Time Management quotes for students

The quotes in this collection focus on key themes for students such as prioritisation, procrastination and managing deadlines. There are 8 of these quotes that follow these specific themes. You might find it easier to download the copy below. If you decide to use it, we’d be grateful for a link back to our website. It helps us grow and continue to invest in good content.

The main time management quotes for students are:

  • Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late – William Shakespeare
  • Don’t be fooled by the calendar, there are only as many days in a year as you can make use of – Charles Richards
  • The key is in not spending time, but in investing it – Stephen Covey
  • This time like all times is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it – Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • It is not enough to be busy, so are ants – The question is what are we busy with? – Henry Thoreau
  • To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing – Eva Young
  • To do two things at once is to do neither – Publius Syrus
  • A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing, only at different times.

Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late – William Shakespeare

Start with the deadlines. As a student, exams, submissions and group activities are always around the corner. One of the best ways to manage time is to have visibility of these timelines and a view of the preparation required. It is easy to lose sight of these deadlines and become surprised in the end. As Shakespeare says – we can beat this last-minute rush by being prepared sooner.

Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late - William Shakespeare
Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late – William Shakespeare

While doing this, make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of perfection. If you do suffer from this complex – make sure that you have a first draft of the finished version which acts as a backup. You can continually improve this back so that you don’t risk missing the submission deadlines altogether.

Don’t be fooled by the calendar, there are only as many days in a year as you can make use of – Charles Richards

Procrastination is a lie which tells you that you will have more time in the future. The other common lie of procrastination is that things will get easier with time. The only thing this procrastination does is that it adds to the pressure and creates unnecessary stress. As a student, this stress can wreak havoc and debilitate your ability to perform at the time of need.

Don't be fooled by the calendar, there are only as many days in a year as you can make use of - Charles Richards
Time Availability: Don’t be fooled by the calendar

Managing stress requires discipline and preparation. Most importantly stress arises from the inability to manage expectations. Being honest with yourself is a great way to start managing this stress. The first main truth is represented in this quote – there is no additional time. This is one of the biggest resources and limitations that you’ll face.

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it – Stephen Covey, Time Management quotes

This is a brilliant quote about reflecting on how precious time is. If we look at time as something to invest in, we will be more careful about it and think about how best it can be used to give us a return in the future. One of the most common challenges for a student is to balance between immediate pleasures vs long long-term investments.

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it - Stephen Covey
The key is in not spending time, but in investing it – Stephen Covey

Perhaps you can find a balance between the two. You must have fun while also ensuring that you do enough to invest this time for a future that will reward you. There’s no place and time for regrets as a student.

This time like all times is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Time is in the now – it is what we do at this moment in time that will define us. Our future and past are two different constructs and in some way a narrative. We will never know the full extent of either. However, we can know what we are doing now and how to use that to influence our future.

This time like all times is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it - Ralph Waldo Emerson
This time like all times is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it – Ralph Waldo Emerson

As a student, there will be worries of the future or the stress of exams etc. But we can’t control the outcomes now. The only thing we can do is to prepare and give ourselves the best chance at success. And like Ralph Waldo Emerson says – it is a great time if we know what to do with it.

It is not enough to be busy, so are ants – The question is what are we busy about? – Henry Thoreau

It is easy to be busy and spend our time on the wrong things. It won’t amount to anything – instead it gives us an illusion that we’re doing something. This is best explained in the debate between efficiency vs effectiveness. If we are making a conscious choice about what best to invest our time in – this will help our future. It is easy to be busy – but busy doing what is the main question that we need to ask ourselves.

It is not enough to be busy, and so are ants - The question is what are we busy about? - Henry Thoreau
It is not enough to be busy, and so are ants – The question is what are we busy about? – Henry Thoreau

If we take a rational approach to our time and see how best it is serving us, perhaps we can be a bit more careful about its usage. Instead of being busy with things that mindlessly occupy our time and space, bring in a bit of mindful thinking. Decide fully on how you’re using it and make sure that you define what you’ll be busy about and for what reason. These conscious decisions help to bring out leadership skills and time management abilities for students.

To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing – Eva Young

Decision-making is a key skill for time management. This quote is in line with the previous one about prioritisation. Planning is a crucial part of time management as a student. If you however spend too much time on planning, there is very little left for action. You need to find a fair balance between working things out vs adequate planning. Your results depend on your planning. Don’t wait for perfection, start something – it will guide you with better results and feedback to improve your plan.

To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing - Eva Young
To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing – Eva Young

To do two things at once is to do neither – Publius Syrus

Multitasking is a common buzzword to make the best use of time. However, this can be counterproductive. Every technique has its benefits. If you want to make use of multi-tasking, it is best to combine activities which require the least concentration with others. This article provides more details about the good use of multitasking. It can work very well for less important items on your list. For things that require higher concentration, it is better to do only one thing at once.

To do two things at once is to do neither - Publius Syrus, quote on doing two things at once
To do two things at once is to do neither – Publius Syrus

A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing, only at different times.

We would like to end this without trying to sound too harsh. We can always pass and we can always do an average job. But we can also do an amazing job and be smart at it. It is how you plan yourself and take responsibility for the same. Played right, effective time management can give you a great sense of accomplishment and the feeling of staying on top of things.

A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing, only at different times.
A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing, only at different times.

Discover more from Inspire99

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Show 12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. This is one of unique article which i have seen on time management for students. Normally students always says “I did not have time.” and this few words not only used by students but also everyone use. But main thing is that all those people who have achieve huge success. They never say these few words “I did not have time.”
    Thank you for sharing your ideas ..!!!!

  2. Loved all the quotes, difficult to pick one or two best ones. They all touch upon different aspects with the same undertone!

    • He he agreed mate, these quotes were really handpicked with a theme flowing out from each one of them. Thanks to the base reference post, we were able to get quite a great list out here with an analysis of the same :)

  3. Maniparna Sengupta Majumder

    I know all the wise things, but, still, honestly, the last line of any of my project is always written at the eleventh hour… :-P

    • Ha ha, well even I like the last minute rush. But over time, I realise that there are more mistakes in the last minute projects I have done. Although it has felt great doing them, the effectiveness has certainly reduced. I guess the time pressure brings out a nice adrenaline rush, but the preparedness can sure go a longer way.

  4. Nice ones. What are we busy about is a good question to ask our self everyday.

    • Thank you Arun :). Most of these questions can really help us get ourselves into an awareness mode and that in itself will be a brilliant start for a student.

    • Thank you Maitreni. I guess it works on multiple levels too .Some of these can be extrapolated to a working situation as well.

  5. pooja

    Making a plan every day but not possible to executive, its a most negative……….. thing that may affect our next day so its better to make a time table or planning in a proper manner to execute our efforts and to get fruitful success
    thank you for motivational quote about Time Management

  6. poo

    Making a plan every day but not possible to executive, its a most negative……….. thing that may affect our next day so its better to make a time table or planning in a proper manner to execute our efforts and to get fruitful success
    thank you for motivational quote about Time Management

All we need is a spark to engage a fantastic conversation, please leave your thoughts to inspire our readers

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.