Discipline and time management: meet your new best friends!

Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed with deadlines, wondering where all your time went, or struggling to balance your studies with other commitments? If so, you are not alone. Many students face these challenges because, let’s be honest, studying can be overwhelming. Studying as a mature student can feel like climbing a mountain, especially when life starts getting real. Believe me, I get you. I’m not only a student at the University of London but also a mother and a wife, working a full-time with my own hobbies. Many of us already have jobs or careers, families, and a whole grown-up life where we need to find time for cooking, household chores, and maybe — just maybe — squeezing in a bit of rest. And yes, I’m talking about those rare moments when you’re not debating between studying or doing the dishes. 

In this blog, I want to discuss discipline and why it’s so important — not just in theory, but in practice. I’ll also share some time management tools and tips on how to organise your life so that you can stay on top of everything without feeling overwhelmed. Let’s go! 

Your best friend number 1: discipline

Have you ever wondered which characteristic is distinguished in those who achieve their goals more effectively? The answer is very simple, it’s discipline. Everyone on earth has 24 hours in a day. Let’s allocate eight hours for sleep (okay, who are we kidding — most of us are lucky if we get that), and we’re left with 16 hours. 

We can all have the best time management and a million plans, but if we don’t follow through on what we had planned, none of it matters.  

Motivation and a good mood aren’t enough because motivation can come and go. Discipline, however, is what will carry you straight to your goal, like an aeroplane flying from one destination to another. Today, we have so many distractions, from social networks to entertainment videos on YouTube, and our phones that seem to be glued to our hands. It’s becoming harder and harder to focus for long periods of time. Even if you love what you study, that won’t necessarily protect you from getting distracted. So, here are some practical tools that help me when I need to discipline myself. 

1. Create a routine: establish specific days and times in your calendar for studying, such as Monday and Wednesday from 16:00 to 20:00. Mark them in your calendar and set reminders. When you make it a habit to study on set days, it becomes easier to stay disciplined. 

2. Learn to say “no”: step one sounds easy, but when it’s time to study, unexpected things always come up — a new TV series drops, a friend invites you for coffee, or you feel the urge to scroll through Instagram or listen to nostalgic music. Learn to say “no.” Remember your end goal, remember why you’re doing this, and remember that, if you procrastinate, your workload will pile up like a snowball, making it even harder later on. Small decisions like this lead to big successes over time.  

3. Practice self-control: when you feel the urge to procrastinate, remind yourself of your goals and push through. It’s tough at first, but the more you practice, the stronger your discipline becomes. 

4. Remove distractions while studying: what distracts you the most? Probably your phone or the people around you. Whatever it is, identify your main distractions and limit, or remove them, during study time. 

5. Switch on background music: try listening to “jazz music for studying” or “aeroplane white noise” on YouTube which can seriously help. This kind of music can calm your mind and help you focus. 

6. Stay consistent and be proud of yourself: be proud of the fact that you made a mature decision to create the future you want. Celebrate yourself every time you study, even on days when you don’t feel super motivated. Remember, motivation will get you started, but discipline will keep you going. 

Finally, always remember that a little progress each day adds up to big results over time. Consistency is the key. 

Great! Now that you've saved these tips, let's move onto time management, your second-best friend in studying. 

Your best friend number 2: time management

As I mentioned earlier, we have about 16 active hours a day. Of course, at least eight of them are probably spent working or running our own businesses. So, we’re left with about eight free hours. While that might not seem like a lot, it’s still plenty of time to get organised and focus on what matters to you. But how do we manage it? What is time management? 

Time management means planning and organising your time so you can balance studying with everything else (work, personal life, and maybe a Netflix binge) without feeling overwhelmed. It helps you avoid the dreaded last-minute cramming by spreading your study sessions more evenly. 

As Brian Tracy wisely says, “there is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.” [1] When you manage your time well, you don’t just reduce stress before exams, you learn and retain more. So, if you want to crush your studies and feel less frazzled, mastering time management is key. Oh, and by the way, I highly recommend Brian Tracy’s book on time management (or you can listen to it as an audiobook if you're short on time!). It’s a game-changer, believe me. 

1. Create list A and list B: To manage your time effectively, you could try dividing all your tasks into two categories. List A has the high-priority tasks. The ones that will bring you the biggest results and move you closer to your goals. List B has the lower-priority tasks that can either be delegated or postponed. The golden rule? Always focus on completing tasks from List A first. Prioritising what truly matters is a game-changer when it comes to achieving success. 

2. Set clear and achievable goals: one of the biggest time-wasters is working without a clear goal in mind. Clarity is key. 95% of success comes from knowing exactly what you want to achieve. [2] However, don’t overwhelm yourself by setting dozens of goals each week. Be realistic. Take time to understand your capacity and ask yourself, "how much can I realistically accomplish?" Then, set a manageable number of goals and set out to achieve these.  

3. Break tasks into smaller steps: don’t try to conquer everything at once. Break up your study sessions or tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. It makes everything less overwhelming and easier to tackle. Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase. 

4. Use project management tools: tools like Kanbanflow (which is my favourite and it’s free), ClickUp, Monday.com, Notion (also one of my favourites), or Jira can help you stay organised. You’ll have a clear view of your progress and can easily track what’s been done, and what’s next. It’s like having a visual roadmap to success. 

5. Use Google Calendar: it might sound basic, but laying out your schedule visually helps with long-term planning. Don’t forget to turn on notifications so you never miss a thing! 

6. Eat that frog! What? Frog? What are you talking about? Well, your "frog" is that big, intimidating task that you’re most likely to procrastinate on. As Mark Twain once said, "if the first thing you do each morning is eat that frog, you can go through the day knowing the worst is behind you." [3] If you have two frogs to eat, start with the ugliest one (or the hardest task). Once you tackle the hardest thing first, the rest of your day feels like a breeze! 

7. Focus on one task at a time: multitasking is a myth. Trying to juggle too many things at once actually makes us less productive, and our work is of lower quality. Stay focused on one task until it’s done, and you'll be amazed at how much more efficient you become. 

8. Set measurements and deadlines: if you really want to see results in a more effective manner, you need to measure your progress and set deadlines. Tracking your progress using management tools like Kanbanflow or ClickUp is super easy and can be really helpful. 

9. Pomodoro technique: My favourite tool! This one is a game-changer! Get yourself a kitchen timer, like the ones used for boiling eggs, to track your time, or you can visit a website that offers time trackers. Work in focused 25-minute intervals (called "Pomodoros") followed by a five-minute break. After four sessions, take a longer break. It keeps your mind fresh and prevents burnout.  

Final thoughts

Mastering discipline and time management isn’t easy, and that’s true. But imagine how proud you will be when you achieve your goal! Moreover, be proud of every little step you take towards reaching that goal. It’s important to understand that starting is the hardest part; once you begin, keeping on track is much easier. Discipline and time management are about building habits that can transform your entire future. These two skills help you stay focused, organised, and in control, allowing you to reach your academic goals and succeed in whatever challenges life throws your way. If you develop these habits now, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success in both your personal and professional life. Remember, the effort you put in today creates the foundation for tomorrow's achievements. Good luck!

Daria studies BSc Marketing in Spain.

References:

1. Brian Tracy: Master your time master your life (2016)
2. Brian Tracy: Master your time master your life (2016)
3. Mark Twain in Brian Tracy: Eat that frog (2001)