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Managing your time is probably the most important survival
skill you will ever develop. We all have the same amount of
time each week - 168 hours - and how we use it can make the
difference in whether we're successful or not. Here are some
tips to consider that can help you manage your time better.
Identify the essentials.
- Work commitments. If you have a job make sure your
boss knows you are going to school, when the classes
are, and what you are trying to accomplish.
- Classroom attendance. Find out from each of your
instructors what is expected from you - will classroom
participation impact your grade? Is interacting with
other students and the instructor essential to learning?
- Family obligations. If you have a spouse, children,
or others who depend upon you for emotional, as well as
tangible support, make sure they know how much time is
required for schoolwork. Don't completely abandon your
family commitments - this will have consequences as
well. You can generate a lot of unnecessary stress by
alienating a spouse, your children, or others who are
personally important to you because it appears that you
don't have time for them any more.
Prioritize your available time.
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How much time is required for study? Rule of thumb: 3
hours of study, research, and assignment preparation is
required for every hour of classroom work. But don't study
for more than 2 hours at a time. Take a break every half
hour or so, get up, move around, and do something radically
different from studying - check your e-mail, get some
refreshments, make a phone call, or whatever to give your
mind a break. When you come back to studying spend a few
minutes reviewing what you have already covered before you
move on to a new area.
- Don't forget eating, sleeping, and your health. You can
cut corners once in a while - but don't make a habit of
eating on the run, staying up late and getting up early the
next day or your health will soon start to fail. Depending
on caffeine drinks to stay awake isn't wise and poor
performance in the classroom and on the job won't help you
with your grades or your work obligations. If you can't stay
awake at work, or fall asleep in the classroom eventually
your academic career (as well as other aspects of your life)
will suffer.
- Use the tools your instructors give you. Many instructors
will give you a course overview, list objectives, describe
learning outcomes, or outline the main points that will be
covered. Use these handouts to keep you focused on the class
and to help you keep pace with the learning requirements.
More about the value of these tools is covered in the
note-taking section.
- Don't wait till the last minute to start a class project
or research assignment. If you know that you have a project,
research assignment, or other large, daunting task
associated with a class it is best to get started on it
right away. Divide the task up into small chunks and try to
complete a chunk at a time. Work backward from the final
product. If research is required, save yourself some time,
and make sure you annotate your sources while your gathering
the info - you'll need it for your footnotes later. This
requirement is discussed further in
research and projects.
Online classes are options.
- Check to see what is available. Online classes offer
flexibility when your schedule won't fit the classroom
schedule. Make sure your online classes are accredited, will
meet your academic requirements, and that you can adapt to
their unique requirements. Don't confuse flexibility with
time saving. Most online classes will require just as much
reading, studying, researching, and reporting as a
traditional course. And if you are uncomfortable reading off
a computer screen - then maybe online courses are not for
you!
- What's your computer situation? If you tie up the family
computer for your online study (in addition to your report
writing, researching, and other computer-dependent tasks
associated with your traditional courses) will you have the
support and understanding of other computer users in your
household? Do you have a high-speed connection or can you
live with dial-up speed? How are your computer skills? These
are all questions that you need to think about when you
start analyzing the time management challenges your college
career can present.
Set up a calendar/schedule.
- Keep an academic calendar. Once you have your class
schedule mark your classes on the calendar, annotate known
test dates, and dates when major projects, research papers,
or other large tasks are due.
- Set up a study schedule. Based on the time assessment you
have done start blocking off study times. This should
include planning for homework completion, reading, studying,
and research, report writing, and test preparation.
- Make room on your calendar for others. Make sure you also
mark other important events like birthdays, anniversaries,
and take into account holidays that occur during the
academic term.
Identify disposable time.
- What can you give up? If you work full-time and have an
hour lunch, can you "brown-bag" it, and use this time to
study? Do you commute using public transportation - can you
use this time to review notes or flash cards? Do you have
family obligations that turn you into a chauffeur? - Why not
use your time waiting on the kids to study, review your
notes, or study flash cards? Look at your day - where can
you convert time to your advantage? Record favorite TV shows
so you can watch them on your schedule - not the networks'!
These are just a few areas where you can maximize your time,
we're sure you can find others.
- Time wasters can be people too! Just because you've been
friends since third grade doesn't mean that you are attached
at the hip! Hanging out with your friends isn't a bad thing,
but if you spend more time than you can afford then maybe
you should avoid doing so until you can control the amount
of time you spend with them. Use your home answering machine
to screen incoming calls, this way you can return important
calls on your schedule and not interrupt your study time.
Turn off your cell phone as well when you study. Take
control of your time.
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