Thriving in College: How Effective Time Management Supports Pediatric Cancer Survivors

Time Management

At the Austin Hatcher Foundation, we understand that pediatric cancer survivors face unique challenges as they transition into college life. Balancing academic demands with the ongoing need for medical appointments, self-care, and mental well-being can be overwhelming. Effective time management is not just a tool for academic success—it's essential for maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle. In this blog, we'll explore how mastering time management can help pediatric cancer survivors thrive in college, ensuring they can achieve their goals while also taking care of their physical and emotional health.

Academic success

• Prioritization: Effective time management helps students prioritize their tasks and responsibilities, ensuring they focus on the most important and urgent ones.
• Meeting deadlines: Proper time management ensures students have enough time to complete assignments, study for exams, and submit projects or papers before the deadlines.
• Reduced Procrastination: Good time management minimizes the likelihood of procrastination, helping students avoid last-minute rushes and stress.
• Balanced Workload: Time management allows students to distribute their workload evenly, preventing them from feeling overwhelmed and ensuring they can dedicate sufficient time to each subject or task.
• Improved Focus and Concentration: By allocating specific time blocks for studying and

Minimizing distractions, time management enhances students' ability to concentrate and stay focused on their academic work.

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Reduced stress and better mental health

• Stress Reduction: Effective time management helps reduce stress by providing a structured framework for organizing tasks and responsibilities, minimizing last-minute rushes and overwhelming workloads.
• Balanced Schedule: Proper time management allows for a balanced schedule that includes time for academic work, self-care, relaxation, and coping strategies, promoting overall well-being and reducing burnout.
• Self-Care and Relaxation: Time management ensures that the student can allocate dedicated periods for self-care activities, such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones, which can significantly contribute to better mental health.
• Adequate Rest and Recovery: Sufficient time for rest and recovery, which is particularly important for a cancer survivor who may require additional rest or recuperation periods.
• Enhance Overall Well-Being: By reducing stress and promoting better mental health, time management contributes to the student's overall well- being, enabling them to navigate college life with greater resilience, focus, and a positive mindset.

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Increased productivity

• Clear Goals: Time management helps individuals set clear goals and objectives, providing a sense of direction and purpose.
• Task Prioritization: Effective time management allows for the prioritization of tasks based on importance and urgency, ensuring that crucial tasks are addressed first.
• Focus and Concentration: By allocating specific time blocks for different tasks, time

management promotes better focus and concentration, minimizing distractions and interruptions.

• Efficient Use of Time: With proper time management, individuals can make the most of their available time by utilizing it efficiently and avoiding time-wasting activities.
• Minimizing Procrastination: Implementing a schedule and time management techniques, help reduce procrastination and encourage timely action.
• Enhanced Accountability: Setting specific time slots for tasks and activities creates a

sense of accountability, as individuals are more likely to follow through on their commitments when they are scheduled.

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Balanced lifestyle

• Prioritizing Self-Care: Time management allows cancer survivors to allocate dedicated time for self-care activities, such as exercise, rest, meditation, or engaging in hobbies that promote physical and emotional well-being.
• Manage Medical Appointments: Cancer survivors often require ongoing medical appointments and treatments. Effective time management helps them schedule and plan these appointments without compromising their other commitments.
• Balancing Academic and Personal Life: Time management can help cancer survivors strike a balance between their academic responsibilities and personal life. It enables them to allocate time for socializing, spending time with family and friends, pursuing hobbies, or engaging in leisure activities.
• Allocating Time for Relaxation and Stress Reduction: Cancer survivors may face unique emotional and physical challenges. Proper time management ensures they have dedicated time for relaxation, stress reduction techniques, or engaging in activities that bring them joy and peace.
• Avoiding Burnout: Effective time management helps cancer survivors avoid burnout by preventing excessive workload or overcommitment. It ensures they have time for themselves, reducing the risk of physical and emotional exhaustion.

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Professional development

• Meeting Deadlines: Time management skills help students develop a habit of meeting deadlines consistently, which is crucial in professional settings where timely completion of tasks and projects is expected.
• Planning and Organization: Time management skills enable students to plan and organize their work effectively, ensuring that projects are completed in a systematic and efficient manner.
• Balancing Work and Personal Life: Effective time management helps students strike a balance between their work and personal life, preventing burnout and promoting overall well-being, which is essential for sustainable professional growth.
• Enhancing Time Sensitive Skills: Time management fosters the development of time-

sensitive skills, such as multitasking, decision-making under pressure, and adaptability, which are valuable in professional settings.

• Future Preparation: Time management skills developed during undergrad can be transferred to professional life. Employers value individuals who can manage their time effectively, meet deadlines, and prioritize tasks

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How to Prioritize Tasks as a College Student?

• Prioritize tasks
• Create schedule to help you stay organized 

• Google Calendar
• Planner

• Set realistic goals

• Establish goals that are achievable for each day or week.
• Break large tasks into smaller tasks to maintain motivation and progress.

• Avoid procrastination

• Learn to say NO, recognize your limit and learn to decline additional commitment when your schedule is already full.
• Allocate breaks
• Include short breaks within your schedule to rest and recharge. 
• Taking breaks regular breaks can improve focus and productivity when you return your tasks
• Utilize time blocks
• Group similar tasks together

• Minimize distractions
• Set deadlines ahead of time
• Break large tasks into smaller steps

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About the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a lifetime of free essential services to children and families affected by pediatric cancer. Through its various programs, the Foundation offers support, education, and hope to children battling cancer and their families, helping them navigate the challenges of diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. For more information about the organization, visit www.HatcherFoundation.org.

Call/Text: 423-243-3471

Email: info@hatcherfoundation.org

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