Time management plays a very important role in delivering the best results in the journey of UPSC civil services. A better time management is the key to utilize every moment productively and take the whole process of UPSC preparation as a happy go process rather than a liability or a boring affair. Time and stress are two interlinked entities, the more we manage the time according to the demands of the UPSC the less mental stress we face. At the same time if we are unable to manage the time very well, our stress levels will grow with every passing day.
Every year lakhs of aspirants join the competition and finally a handful of aspirants achieve the success, what makes them different from the remaining aspirants is their ability to manage the time very well. There is a very beautiful quote by Henary David Thoreau, “it is not enough to be busy, so are ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” With a better time management and an indomitable spirit, success is inevitable. Below are some best time management tips to crack the UPSC examination with the flying colours.
- Prepare a time table that is pragmatic, simple and easy to fallow. Keep the things as easy as manageable without adding the complicated schedule that you even cannot act upon.
- Fallow the time table religiously and rigorously. Maintaining a proper discipline and decorum in fallowing the time table is always an etiquette of successful UPSC aspirants.
- Study according to your own level of comfort but maintain a strict target based approach. Finish a topic, a chapter or a book within a stipulated targeted time.
- Make a flexible time table with intermittent breaks for rest, food and snacks. If possible take small naps, this will improve your performance and productivity.
- Eliminate the distractions and minimize the sources that tend to distract you. Avoiding the phone during studies is the wisest thing to do.
- Study one subject, a topic or a chapter at a time. Set the required target and master it. Never rush to too many things at a time.
- Good sleep is prerequisite for effective time management and quality study, bulls eye focus and a powerful concentration. Generally 7-8 hours sleep is essential to stay active during the whole day.
- Always try to be a morning person, trust me all the successful people have the habit of getting up early in the morning and starting the day before anyone else. Morning time is very productive as compared to night time.
- Manage your stress, be calm and calculative and make sure that every second is used more productively.
- Evaluate yourself periodically, test series for both prelims and mains will serve the purpose efficiently.
- Choose your study material wisely and limit the materials, revise as much as you can. It is better to read one topic or book 100 times than to read same thing from multiple sources.
- Maintain a balanced diet, take good care of your health as a healthy mind breeds a healthy body and vice versa.
To conclude one must take into consideration that the ultimate goal of time management for UPSC civil services is to manage the stress level and give your best to crack this prestigious examination. Ultimately it is up to you to find your best strategy that will work much better for you. Sometimes you cannot give your cent percent or you may dwindle to manage time or complete your target, don’t worry this happens to every serious aspirant, just chill and have some rest and start your fresh day with great zeal and enthusiasm.