Time Management

We’ve all heard this familiar refrain from students, "I don’t have enough time to get everything done!" While school is quite demanding, most students don’t have enough time for their studies because they simply aren’t managing it properly. If you are having difficulty keeping up with your class work, consider the following time management tips.

Lastly, notice that many of these tips focus on taking care of yourself. That is because eight hours of study by a healthy, well-rested student are easily worth twelve hours of study by tired, frustrated student.

Remember, you can’t afford not to take of yourself during the school year.

Studies have shown that your first hour of studying is the best hour, and your ability to retain material drops precipitously after that hour. Similarly, don’t study for any one subject for more than an hour at a time. In fact, it is better to read or review a subject in four 30-minute sessions rather than one, 2-hour session where fatigue and boredom is sure to set in.

Fatigue and frustration are your greatest enemies when studying. To avoid them, reward yourself with short breaks. A good rule of thumb is to take a 10 to 15 minute break for every 60 to 90 minutes of studying. You’ll be amazed at how much fresher you feel when you start studying again!

 

Although many students prefer to study during the evenings, research has shown that one hour of studying during the day is equal to 1.5 hours of evening studying.

This will help ensure that the material is fresh in your mind, and will make you better able to take part in classroom discussions, follow the professor’s lecture, and link the text to the classroom work.

Most of us use some form of shorthand when taking notes so that we can keep up with the professor’s lecture. Be sure to review your notes within 24 hours of class so that you can clean up your short hand while the lecture is still relatively fresh in your mind. An even better practice, type the notes into your computer after class. Typing the notes can can help you retain the material and will be useful when you later start outlining the material for exams.

 

Make no mistake about it, the quality of mental work depends on sufficient sleep. Without enough sleep, memory is one of the first things to go.

Dietary deficiencies can lead to lack of pep, irritability, distractibility, and mental slow down.

Time management must include physical exercise, social activities, and psychological rest and relaxation. Leave out recreation and exercise and you'll sacrifice concentration, memory, and productivity.

 

Don't be a workaholic. Do the best work you can until 10 or 11 p.m., then relax. This will give you an incentive to work on a regular basis rather than resort to the "cram and cease" method that generally leads to pre-finals burnout.

When your mind is wandering or daydreaming, get up and do something else or start on another assignment. Daydreaming is a clear sign from your brain that it is ready to move onto something new.

 

Use it! Don't let others schedule your time to suit their needs.