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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.