Good time management enables good study.
Sometimes, study can feel as if it's taking over your life, especially if you're also busy with work or family. These three pages describe some simple ways to not feel overwhelmed.
However strictly or loosely you keep to your timetable, you'll have occasional blocks of time here and there. How you can use them depends on how long they are, and your work at the moment.
- preparing for a lecture
- reviewing notes
- doing take-home exercises
- revising for a quiz
- planning or editing an assignment
- readings (for lectures or assignments)
- writing an assignment draft
- revising for an exam
- researching/writing an assignment
- revising for final (whole-course) exams
For longer periods, know your attention span. If you find the subject interesting or boring, it might be longer or shorter, but for most people it's about 1 hour.
| Don't force yourself to focus on only one task for too long. Split longer periods into shorter blocks of about an hour, at the end of which either move to a new task or have a short break. |
If you've used the strategies so far, you'll have calendars for your whole semester and weekly routine. Each evening, use them to check what you need to do the next day. Write it out as a list (including both study and non-study). If you haven't already, decide on your priorities. Which do you most need/want to get done on time?
It can feel silly but, as you complete each one, physically cross it out. The satisfaction of a half-page of crossed-out words is both reassuring and motivating.
If any are left undone, move them onto the next day's list, and get them done first if they're important enough. Doing something one day later shouldn't worry you - this isn't about testing yourself, it's about getting things done. It's far better than putting something off until it becomes a crisis.