Digital training and support
Technology, planning and organisation
Managing your time effectively is vital to both meeting your academic deadlines and enjoying your time at university.
Managing your time will help with your success in the workplace, and in your personal life. It also ensures you complete tasks to the best of your ability, and reduces stress and anxiety.
Developments in technology constantly bring all sorts of tools to support planning and organisation, particularly managing your time, eliminating distractions, and getting your ideas out of your head. Use our ideas below to explore technology that can support you with these areas.
We have focused on software and technology that is readily available to you through York St John or is freely available. You may already use or be interested in other tools and we can explore and learn these together in a support tutorial.
Managing your time
To build your time management skills, start with Study Development Time Management resources to give you ways to think about your time and techniques to implement.
For more information, take a look at the tools and help pages listed below.
Microsoft To Do is an easy to use to-do list for your phone and computer.
You can access this using your York St John IT account via Office365.
Microsoft Planner is an easy to use task management app in Microsoft Teams.
More information can be found here.
You can access this using your York St John IT account via Office365.
Goblin Tools Time Estimator is an AI tool to help with estimating the length of time a task might take.
Use the calendar in your York St John email account to schedule tasks, events and activities so you know and remember what you need to do and when.
Mindview is a visual and text mind-mapping tool for creating mind maps of your tasks and priorities.
You can find out more by watching the MindView for Time Management video on YouTube.
Email assistivetech@yorksj.ac.uk to request a Mindview account to get started.
Eliminating distractions
To start eliminating distractions, start with study development time management resources, particularly the Time management and staying focused factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB), to give you ways to stay focused.
For more information, take a look at the tools and help pages listed below.
Use the Windows 10 system setting to reduce distractions.
Use the Windows 11 system setting to reduce distractions.
Use the Mac OS system settings to reduce distractions.
Use your iPhone or iPad settings to reduce distractions.
Use your Android phone settings to reduce distractions.
Boost your productivity with the Stayfocused browser extension by limiting the amount of time you can spend on distracting websites.
Using an ad blocker extension in your browser help to remove advert distractions.
Various ad blockers are available online.
Follow the Pomodoro technique explained in the Study Development staying focused factsheets and try using:
Instead of a number timer, try a visual timer from Online Stopwatch.
Ambient noise can sometimes help create a study atmosphere that works for you:
Getting ideas out of your head
If your mind goes blank when trying to think, or if it fills with ideas that are hard to keep up with, consider the way you prefer to work. Some people find that working in a linear format suits them best, while others benefit more from visual or audio formats. Ideas may flow more easily when typing for some, while others find that speaking helps generate thoughts more effectively.
To build your time management skills, start with Study Development Time Management resources to give you ways to think about your time and techniques to implement.
For more information, take a look at the tools and help pages listed below.
Mindview is a visual and text mind-mapping tool for creating mind maps of your tasks and priorities.
To learn more about Mindview, you can watch MindView 9 – Quick Start on YouTube to learn more.
If you would like to get started, email assistivetech@yorksj.ac.uk to request a Mindview account.
Goblin Tools – Magic To Do helps you to get ideas out of your head and breaks them down into smaller steps using AI.
You can also try the Goblin Tool - Compiler to create organisation from a list of tasks.
Work on task initiation by using our Starting Tasks and Making Progress worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB).
Teams transcription may help you with remembering tasks given to you in meetings.
Remember, it only works with pre-arrangement meetings not ad-hoc calls.
Microsoft Dictate allows you to speak your thoughts out loud to help with writing. This will be more accurate when used in a quiet space with a good microphone.
Use the phone app to dictate on the go.
