Exams are just a month away, and time management is becoming more important than ever. Between final projects, term papers and studying for exams, it's tough to squeeze in any time to sleep, let alone relax or hang out with friends.

Not to worry, Heather Burke is here to help. She owns the Ottawabased Smart Space Organizing and is a member of Professional Organizers in Canada.

The first step to de-stressing is writing everything down. "Look at your calendar; when is the last day of school, when are your exams — put them in first," said Burke. A calendar provides visual cues as to exactly how many days you have to work on each item, so you can chunk your time up accordingly. "Plan tomorrow today."

When planning your time, however, remember to be practical. "Develop a realistic sense of time," said Burke. "Things usually take twice — or (sometimes) just half — as long as you think they will."

She said it's important to figure out what your action items are. "Choose three per day to get started on or continue to work on." She recommended colour-coded sticky notes, kept inside a file folder. "Take three items each day to put them on your action file."

When things pile up, Burke said it's natural to feel overwhelmed. "As the stress builds up, we're going to procrastinate; it's part of our limbic system," she explained. "The hardest part is getting started."

To get over the getting-started hurdle, she suggested seeing what you can do in a short amount of time. "For a tedious task that you have been putting off, try setting a timer for five minutes and get to work." She advised creating or moving to a quiet space for this time, and ensure that the time will be completely uninterrupted. "When the alarm sounds, you may not feel like stopping — don't be surprised if that first five minutes turns into 10, 15 (or) 20."

One factor that may be putting up roadblocks to your concentration is the time of day in which you're trying to do your work.

"If you're studying or (doing) homework, take advantage of your 'power hours,'" she said. For example, early risers should study in the morning, when they are feeling energetic and ready to take on the day, while some night owls may do their best work after 10 p.m. "Knowing and taking advantage of your natural energy patterns will help you steer clear of procrastination by using your 'power times' to tackle the projects you find most challenging," explained Burke.

When you have lots of things to work on, prioritizing tasks is vital when you've only got a small amount of time. "Write down exactly what you really have to do — what is necessary; not what you'd like to do, what you have to do," advised Burke. If the list has over 15 items she suggested taking another look at the bottom five items may help you to reassess their importance.

With the holiday season taking place right after exams, there's even more of a time crunch — with the added bonus of a potentially very expensive couple of weeks. Rather than buying material gifts during the holidays, give family and friends "events" such as taking them out for coffee, cooking them a meal or spending a day together, she advises.

Remember, as important as it is to get everything done, it's just as important to take some time to relax. "If you study and completely exhaust yourself, you're not going to be any good. Take a break and socialize as well," said Burke. "You have to look at the whole person."

For more information on Smart Space Organizing, visit www.smartspaceorganizing.ca.