“We don’t have time”- the most frequent dialogue, that can be heard from the students of Biocon Academy. Yes, that is indeed the case! The Academy offers short-term courses that cover all aspects of the pharma and biopharma industries. In this brief span of time, we have to attend all the online and offline classroom sessions, finish enormous number of group and individual assignments, assessments, and functional visits, as well as find time for ourselves and our dear ones. Stress generally seeps in when we fail to manage our time properly, which in turn can lead to stress-related symptoms that can affect our body, our thoughts and feelings, our productivity and overall behaviour. Time management is therefore essential for both enjoying the course and finishing it successfully. Let’s discuss some time management tips and tricks which I generally follow.

The first step towards effective time management is to avoid procrastination. Daily setting apart some time for assignments would give us enough time to complete all the tasks within the stipulated timeline and keep us on track. Furthermore, working systematically during the weekdays would undoubtedly allow us to position ourselves into a relaxing and refreshing weekend. Making sure that ample rest is given to the body and mind helps us to take up the tasks for the upcoming week like a champ. Being organised, wherever possible, is another important aspect of persistent and effective time management. We could achieve this by taking charge of our time, by creating a schedule with clearly defined priorities and following it diligently.

Setting-up specific deadlines for each task would help us reduce procrastination and unnecessary delay, allowing us to complete each task in a timely manner. Furthermore, understanding the concepts and clearing the doubts while the topic is being canvassed in the class would surely help us in reducing the time investment at a later stage. Most importantly, we must make time for ourselves, our hobbies, our friends, and other personal commitments. If we become intolerably stressed, we should always take a break. This will allow us to come to a state where we can focus on important aspects with a clear mind, which results in more efficient work and better results.

In conclusion, Biocon Academy has helped me to improve my time management skills like never before. So if you are a part of the Academy, be rest assured that you will learn how to master your time.

Authored by Riya Sebastian, Biocon KGI Certificate Program in Biosciences, Batch 23