Time management and its associated factors among medical students

Introduction: Time management is a set of principles, practices, and skills that enable individuals to complete tasks by working more efficiently rather than more complexly. This study aimed to identify time management patterns and associated factors among medical students in a private medical institution in Malaysia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 among medical students at a private medical institution in Malaysia. Respondents were recruited using convenience sampling, and data was collected via an online Google form. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: demographics, time management practices, and the influence of time management on respondents' behavior and performance. Data were analyzed using Epi Info version 7.2 software.Results: A total of 137 students participated in the study. The mean scores indicated that respondents had good to moderate abilities in time planning. Chinese students were reported to have higher time management scores compared to other ethnicities (p=0.024). Respondents living in rented housing or rooms had significantly higher time management scores than those living in hostels or with parents (p<0.001). Additionally, respondents without a habit of procrastination had significantly higher time management scores than their counterparts (p<0.001).Conclusion: In our study, students generally exhibited moderate to good time management skills, with particularly strong performance in the time attitude component. Individuals should be trained to cultivate good time management and reduce procrastination to develop more resilient and adaptive approaches in the future.