The average Australian student has between 7 and 8 fake grandparents that will pass away during their time at university. According to very real, and exhaustive research, each of these fake grandparents will cease to be, approximately, 7 times. Each. You will learn, once you have truly exhausted all 49 of those compassionately issued “funeral” extensions, that it might be time to actually get a handle on managing your deadlines without having to resort to faking a(nother) death. Luckily for you, we’re here to help!

1. Buy a calendar

No, we’re not talking about the chocolate, advent kind (although they’re great too!). Learn to get ahead of your schedule by investing in a wall calendar that shows the whole semester. When it comes to managing your time, it’s often the simplest methods that are the most effective and it’s a lot easier to manage multiple deadlines when you know what’s coming down the line. Hard-to-resist stationery supplier Typo offers some aesthetically pleasing wall planners that will make those looming deadlines a little less gloomy.

2. Avoid the last minute rush

There is absolutely nothing worse than the feeling of dread when you realise that you have an assignment due tomorrow and the only words you’ve managed to get down on paper are your first, last and middle name (up that word count any way you can!).

In order to avoid the last minute scramble and heavy repetitiveness of words like “such as”, “therefore” and “as previously stated”, you should try and get a head start on any upcoming projects. The best way to get ahead? Start from where you want to end up. Is that a riddle? No, it’s just a simple but effective strategy.

By knowing where you want to end up with your assignment, you can then start to work your way back. Analyse the work that has to be done (not in too much depth obviously – it’s only worth 20% after all), and gain a better understanding of much time each step will take. You will then be better placed to form a timeline. Once you have a realistic idea of how long everything will take, it will be a lot easier to get started. There’s nothing like a bit of panic to kick start your momentum! Trust us when we say this; assuming you can bash out a 6,000-word essay in 12 hours is not only optimistic it’s often unrealistic. Although that’s not to say it’s entirely impossible.

3. Don’t take on too much

There is an ancient proverb attributed to the great philosopher Instagramous that goes a little something like this: You will never please everyone; you’re not a jar of Nutella.

It’s very easy to get carried away when starting university and sign up for every club and cause going. Before you know it, you’re the secretary/treasurer/captain of the Greek/drama/lacrosse team as well as the roving reporter for the University Observer. Chances are that at some point or another you will find yourself, hunched over the kitchen counter, highlighting chapters of a book with one hand and baking a cake for the student union charity fundraiser with the other. While you are mentally questioning your life choices, remember that it doesn’t have to be like this.

Limit the number of tasks you take on by keeping a diary and jot down all upcoming events, exams and assignment deadlines. Check your diary before agreeing to take on anything else. You can use your Typo discount to purchase your very own pocket-sized personal planner.

4. Be disciplined

And if you can’t be disciplined enough to take the time to actually do some work, be disciplined enough to remove the distractions that are preventing you from doing so. Mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, catching up on The Edit and searching through pages and pages of ASOS new arrivals are all very noble pastimes in their own right. But all of this scintillating activity when you should be meeting a deadline? Nicht so gut. Download an app lwhich allows you to block distracting websites whenever you feel like your willpower is waning.

Disclaimer: we can’t be held accountable for any viral videos of babies barging into interviews that you may miss during your digital blackout.