Time Management

In the Beginning?

• Trap yourself:  Set up your class schedule with early and late classes ?anchoring? your days.  Whether you live on campus or off, use the time between classes to study.  You?re ?trapped? on campus anyway, so why not study?
• Face the facts: it?s 1 hour in and 2 hours out (roughly speaking).  The rule of thumb is to study at least two hours per week for each credit hour you are taking.  This can vary a lot, depending on the courses you take.  Still, if you don?t put in enough time, you will reduce your chances of getting a top grade.

Mind Games:  Tell Yourself...

• I?ll put a week in my pocket.  During the first week of class, do the reading for the first two weeks; that way you will have a week ?in reserve? to draw upon later if problems arise (illness, family problems, a break-up, etc).

• School is my 9 to 5 job.  (Get to campus by 9 and leave at 5.)
• My PRIME TIME is precious and I won?t waste it.  Experiment with studying at different times of day to discover when your concentration is best.  For many students, one hour of daytime study is equivalent to one and a half hours of evening study.
• I?ll eat my peas before dessert.  Do your toughest homework first each day (or at least start it).  You will be more alert and the task won?t seem insurmountable.
• I?ll eat every pea!  Use every bit of time available ? commuting, waiting in an office, taking a break at work.  The trick is to know which type of homework you can realistically do in each place and then bring it with you:  Read on the train.  Bring a few math problems to solve during a break at work.  Study foreign language flashcards as you wait for a bus or walk across campus. 
• Even if I don?t feel like studying now, I will study for 15 minutes.  The hardest part of studying is getting started.  This is a way to trick yourself into starting.
• I will call myself a liar if I tell myself that I?ll study later on.  Ask yourself how often you?ve actually studied ?later on? (as soon as I get home, on Saturday, etc).

Break it Up

Be Your Own Boss: Schedule your Work

• Post a semester calendar above your desk (or somewhere else).  This calendar should include exams and papers, but not reading assignments.  You need to be able to see the ?big picture? in order to plan ahead.
• Your boss doesn?t say, ?Try to get some work done sometime.?  Your boss tells you precisely what to do and when.  Do the same with your homework.
• Establish the habit of studying at specific times each day.  This will keep you from constantly anguishing over whether you should study or not.
• Try using a weekly schedule.  Write in all of your ?fixed? items like classes and regular work hours.  Next, Xerox this schedule so that you have one copy for each week of the semester.  Finally, every Sunday night (or another time), sit down and write in specific homework assignments on your weekly schedule.
• Try ?to do? lists.  If you are a person who prefers more flexibility, use a daily and/or weekly ?to do? list.  Sit down every Sunday night to write a list of all the homework and reading you want to do for the week.  Each evening, write a short list of what you will do tomorrow.  (You may want to write your daily list on a post-it note and stick it on your alarm clock.)

• Write a separate ?to do? list for school work; do that work first!  If you mix items like ?read pp.23-56? with items like ?buy new pants,? guess which item you will do first?  If you try to clear away all your chores before you start studying, it will be 10:00 p.m. before you open a book.

• Planners are great for recording due dates and tasks you plan to do a few weeks from now.  But, in most cases, if you really want to accomplish something today, you need to write it on either a weekly schedule or a ?to do? list.

You are Not a Machine

• Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep.  There?s no point in shortchanging yourself on sleep; you won?t be able to work at top efficiency if you?re sleepy.
• Eat right and work out.  Don?t get carried away, but a little exercise can help you stay healthy, happy, and more alert.
• Plan to do something fun every weekend.  Don?t? deprive yourself of fun for too long or you may find yourself getting way off track.
• Remember that a schedule is not carved in stone.  At times you need to be flexible.

Reality Check (Prioritize)

• You only have 24 hours each day and you can?t do everything!  Cut back if you find yourself working too much, participating in too many activities, etc.
• Prioritize: What?s most important to you?  If school is your top priority, cut back on the other things in your life.
• You can?t learn everything.  Identify what?s most important in your lectures and books.  You might guess incorrectly at times, but if you try to learn everything, you won?t know anything in depth ? and you will miss far more test questions. 

  Time Management

  In the Beginning?

  • Trap yourself:  Set up your class schedule with early and late classes ?anchoring? your days.  Whether you live on campus or off, use the time between classes to study.  You?re ?trapped? on campus anyway, so why not study?
  • Face the facts: it?s 1 hour in and 2 hours out (roughly speaking).  The rule of thumb is to study at least two hours per week for each credit hour you are taking.  This can vary a lot, depending on the courses you take.  Still, if you don?t put in enough time, you will reduce your chances of getting a top grade.
   

  Mind Games:  Tell Yourself...

  • I?ll put a week in my pocket.  During the first week of class, do the reading for the first two weeks; that way you will have a week ?in reserve? to draw upon later if problems arise (illness, family problems, a break-up, etc).
  • School is my 9 to 5 job.  (Get to campus by 9 and leave at 5.)
  • My PRIME TIME is precious and I won?t waste it.  Experiment with studying at different times of day to discover when your concentration is best.  For many students, one hour of daytime study is equivalent to one and a half hours of evening study.
  • I?ll eat my peas before dessert.  Do your toughest homework first each day (or at least start it).  You will be more alert and the task won?t seem insurmountable.
  • I?ll eat every pea!  Use every bit of time available ? commuting, waiting in an office, taking a break at work.  The trick is to know which type of homework you can realistically do in each place and then bring it with you:  Read on the train.  Bring a few math problems to solve during a break at work.  Study foreign language flashcards as you wait for a bus or walk across campus. 
  • Even if I don?t feel like studying now, I will study for 15 minutes.  The hardest part of studying is getting started.  This is a way to trick yourself into starting.
  • I will call myself a liar if I tell myself that I?ll study later on.  Ask yourself how often you?ve actually studied ?later on? (as soon as I get home, on Saturday, etc).
   

  Break it Up

  ·        Break up big jobs into small, very specific tasks.  Don?t tell yourself that you will sit down and write a ten-page paper; tell yourself that you will find three articles and read them.  Break up long reading assignments into shorter ones.
  ·        Review your lecture notes within 24 hours of the lecture.  This usually takes only 10 minutes and it really pays off when exams roll around.
  ·        Take study breaks.  Many students like to study for an hour and then take a five or ten-minute break.  This can vary, depending on the subject you?re reading and how alert you are.
  ·        Don?t let a study break lead you astray.  Think about the kinds of things that are realistic to do during a break.  A walk around the library is fairly safe, but watching television or checking e-mail can easily lead to a two-hour ?break.?
   

  Be Your Own Boss: Schedule your Work

  • Post a semester calendar above your desk (or somewhere else).  This calendar should include exams and papers, but not reading assignments.  You need to be able to see the ?big picture? in order to plan ahead.
  • Your boss doesn?t say, ?Try to get some work done sometime.?  Your boss tells you precisely what to do and when.  Do the same with your homework.
  • Establish the habit of studying at specific times each day.  This will keep you from constantly anguishing over whether you should study or not.
  • Try using a weekly schedule.  Write in all of your ?fixed? items like classes and regular work hours.  Next, Xerox this schedule so that you have one copy for each week of the semester.  Finally, every Sunday night (or another time), sit down and write in specific homework assignments on your weekly schedule.
  • Try ?to do? lists.  If you are a person who prefers more flexibility, use a daily and/or weekly ?to do? list.  Sit down every Sunday night to write a list of all the homework and reading you want to do for the week.  Each evening, write a short list of what you will do tomorrow.  (You may want to write your daily list on a post-it note and stick it on your alarm clock.)
  • Write a separate ?to do? list for school work; do that work first!  If you mix items like ?read pp.23-56? with items like ?buy new pants,? guess which item you will do first?  If you try to clear away all your chores before you start studying, it will be 10:00 p.m. before you open a book.
  • Planners are great for recording due dates and tasks you plan to do a few weeks from now.  But, in most cases, if you really want to accomplish something today, you need to write it on either a weekly schedule or a ?to do? list.
   

  You are Not a Machine

  • Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep.  There?s no point in shortchanging yourself on sleep; you won?t be able to work at top efficiency if you?re sleepy.
  • Eat right and work out.  Don?t get carried away, but a little exercise can help you stay healthy, happy, and more alert.
  • Plan to do something fun every weekend.  Don?t? deprive yourself of fun for too long or you may find yourself getting way off track.
  • Remember that a schedule is not carved in stone.  At times you need to be flexible.
   

  Reality Check (Prioritize)

  • You only have 24 hours each day and you can?t do everything!  Cut back if you find yourself working too much, participating in too many activities, etc.
  • Prioritize: What?s most important to you?  If school is your top priority, cut back on the other things in your life.
  • You can?t learn everything.  Identify what?s most important in your lectures and books.  You might guess incorrectly at times, but if you try to learn everything, you won?t know anything in depth ? and you will miss far more test questions.