How to Use AI to Manage Your Time as a Student
Every semester, at least one student in my class inevitably falls prey to the foible of poor time management -- and it's painful for everyone involved. They wait until the last minute to turn something in, or forget the work was due or don't give themselves enough time to finish it.
I hate turning down their deadline extension requests -- despite whatever creative excuses they come up with -- so, with input from my students, I've compiled a list of AI tools to help them stay on track.
Here are some common pitfalls, according to real students, and how to remedy them as a busy learner trying to manage your time with AI.
If your assignment takes longer than expected
Pitfall: The work took way longer than you thought it would.
AI solution: Ask Copilot to review your assignments and give you a time estimate to complete them.
One senior told me they spent six hours on reading materials they assumed would take them about one hour to absorb. Sure, that 5-page excerpt might seem straightforward and easy to tackle, but students are often surprised their expectations don't line up with reality once they get into the trenches.
Microsoft Copilot, billed as an AI assistant which uses large language model learning to help you with a host of conversational queries, is great for getting a handle on how long the work might really take. Copilot is built into Edge, Microsoft's browser, and can quickly and accurately review web pages as you're looking at them.
You can ask Copilot to review your learning materials, assignments and deadlines and give you estimates on how much time it might take to complete and prepare for the work without having to copy and paste anything or have a long conversation with other text prompt chat bots.
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
If you're juggling school, work and life
Pitfall: Personal and professional priorities outweigh school work.
AI solution: Ask Gemini for reminders about assignments and due dates, and let it fill the calendar out for you.
Another senior said they often find themselves trying to balance coursework with the work that pays the bills, creating a scenario in which assignments can sometimes fall into the "out of sight, out of mind" mental cavern.
Google Gemini, the company's answer to OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, can help students remember to prioritize their school work by integrating alerts into the set of Google tools they frequently use, like Gmail and Google Calendar.
This does require you to give Gemini permission to access your other Google tools, but that only takes a second. Once you've let Gemini know you'd like to receive reminders about assignments and due dates, you can drop a Copilot-designed timeline into the chat and it will do the heavy lifting of filling out the calendar for you.
Screenshot by Rachel Kane/CNET
When you're struggling with the coursework
Pitfall: Something went wrong and you're just over it.
AI solution: Use AI chatbot Abby as a sounding board to review your feelings and suggest areas of improvement.
A graduate student brought up the mental impact of scholastic to-do's falling through the cracks as a major impediment to keeping their time management on point. The emotional domino effect of missing something when you're already overwhelmed can be deadly to your overall grade if you let IDGAF disease set in.
Abby, an AI chatbot which aims to provide the comfort and guided introspection of a therapist, gives you a sounding board to review your feelings and find the silver lining in any poop-colored cloud.
Early in conversation with the tool, Abby will give you an analysis on your situation as you've explained it and provide some positive traits it identifies in you, as well as suggestions for areas of improvement.
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Forbes
33 minutes ago
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Inside The Bold Vision For America's First Cognitive City
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Forbes
43 minutes ago
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Why Intel's Pain May Be Your Entry Point
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 16: The Intel logo is displayed outside of the Intel headquarters on ... More January 16, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. Intel will report fourth quarter earnings after the closing bell. (Photo by) Most investors have abandoned Intel, dismissing it as a legacy giant that is too slow to adapt and too proud to pivot. I see something different. After dissecting where the company went wrong, overcommitting to 18A fabrication, missing the initial AI inflection, and lacking a coherent narrative for investors, what we're now seeing isn't just a strategic reset. It's a signal of something far rarer in corporate America: humility, operational discipline, and the early signs of a value unlock. While the crowd is focused on Nvidia's dominance and AMD's speed, Intel is quietly setting up for a comeback. Most people won't notice Intel's comeback until it's too late. The Lesson Intel Finally Learned In my 2024 article, 'Why Intel Needs a Visionary CEO to Outpace NVIDIA & AMD,' I argued that Intel's leadership was playing a defensive role, while its competitors, especially NVIDIA, were shaping the future. Legacy management lacked the urgency and boldness to steer Intel through the AI paradigm shift. Fast-forward. Under the new leadership of Lip-Bu Tan, we're witnessing something long overdue: restraint. Intel has shelved the broader external rollout of its ambitious 18A chip node, once pitched as a moonshot and instead doubled down on 14A. That's not capitulation. It's focus. The pivot avoids repeating capital-intensive mistakes and signals a new chapter driven by execution, not ego. What triggered the shift? A familiar cocktail of underperformance, spiraling costs, and internal fragmentation triggered the shift. But what matters more is what this course correction represents: a shift from storytelling to delivery, from bravado to behavior. 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As Intel cuts through its bloated capex profile and begins simplifying its sprawling portfolio, the foundry division is starting to emerge from the noise. It's leaner, more focused, and increasingly viable as a standalone entity. This situation isn't just about spinning off a business for optics. The foundry arm represents a strategic prize for potential buyers, especially in an era when advanced manufacturing capacity is considered geopolitical gold. If management continues to make the right moves, this hidden asset could become the catalyst that drives shareholder returns and strategic interest alike. Lip-Bu Tan, chief executive officer of Intel Corp., during a news conference on the sidelines of the ... More Computex conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Monday, May 19, 2025. Tan is currently weighing options to reform the storied US chipmaker. Photographer: Annabelle Chih/Bloomberg Why Now Is The Time To Revisit Intel As A Contrarian Bet Today, people perceive Intel as a tired, old CPU manufacturer—slow, misaligned, and structurally outdated. But that perception is increasingly disconnected from what's unfolding. The company is behaving like a special situation in its early innings. And that's where opportunity lives for the contrarian investor. The valuation hasn't caught up to the strategic shift. Markets are still pricing in the past, not the pivot. If the foundry business continues to stabilize and insiders begin buying around operational wins, you may be looking at a classic mispriced setup. This mispriced setup could include optionality, catalysts, and a significant margin of safety. This is how these stories typically start. Typically, these stories initiate not with dazzling announcements or grandstanding, but rather with behavioral turning points. Intel's decision to pull back on 18A and reorient its capital allocation is precisely that. Intel is no longer chasing the future; it's starting to shape it. Now is not the time to dismiss Intel. We should examine it with a fresh perspective, a long-term perspective, and a contrarian viewpoint. What Smart Investors Should Do If Intel is indeed transitioning from muddled execution to strategic clarity, then now is the time for sharp investors to prepare—not react. The opportunity isn't just in the fundamentals, but in the signals that often precede a rerating. Here's where to focus: Start by monitoring proxy filings. Changes in executive compensation structures, insider buying activity, and board composition often reveal more than press releases. If incentives begin shifting toward return on capital, margin performance, and disciplined growth—rather than top-line narrative—you'll know Intel's cultural reset is taking hold. Next, watch for strategic disclosures. Any forward guidance tied specifically to 14A rollout timelines—or clearer financial delineation of the foundry business—could mark the beginning of operational bifurcation. That's how spin-offs and breakups start: not with noise, but with accounting and segmentation. Lastly, stay alert to activist or partner interest. Private equity firms and strategic buyers don't announce intent. They signal quietly—often through minority stakes, board influence, or leaked term sheets. If Intel's foundry story continues to take shape, don't be surprised to see your 'breakup' thesis picked up by outsiders with capital and conviction. Smart investors won't wait for the headline. They'll watch the behavior and act before the market catches on. Not A Rebound Story, But A Behavior Thesis At The Edge, we don't invest in headlines. We invest in behavior. I've written extensively about how effective investing isn't about chasing momentum or riding buzzwords, it's about decoding incentives, governance, and capital allocation behavior. Nowhere is that more relevant than with Intel. AI mentions haven't saved the stock. But behavioral change might. In my recent piece, "Intel Just Blinked—and It Could Mean a Breakup Is Coming," I framed Intel's quiet pivot as more than a tactical retreat. It was a signal of structural rethinking driven not by hype, but by hard lessons and shareholder pressure. What's happening now aligns directly with the framework I teach: This isn't a rebound story. Seasoned investors would be well-advised to study this case study of behavioral inflection before the market catches up. Catalysts Start Quiet, Returns Come Later Intel won't be a headline-driven comeback. It won't grab you with explosive quarterly beats or meme-stock hype. But that's precisely why it deserves your attention. The reset is already underway. If you're looking for a real opportunity, skip the noise. Focus on the setup: The easy money will have already shifted by the time the public notices Intel's upcoming chapter. For investors paying attention now, before it's obvious, the upside won't just be possible. It'll feel inevitable in hindsight. The Author owns Intel shares.
