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> First Year Initiative
First Year Initiative Study Skills
Time Management
Running behind? Not getting enough sleep? Feel like there are not enough hours in a day? Many college students have problems with managing their time. Academics are not the only area to suffer from poor time management. A student’s health may even be negatively affected by he or she not having enough time to get proper exercise, sleep well, or eat right. However, you can combat existing time management issues and prevent future time crunches by applying the tips below!
Investigate Where Your Time Is Going.
Categorize time spent. How much do you spend on leisure activities? Studying? Sleeping?
Map out an average weekly schedule. Are you spending sufficient amounts of time on each area? Make adjustments accordingly
Prioritize Your Tasks.
Make lists.
Be sure you know when assignments, bills, or work tasks are due.
Be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses. The time it took your roommate to complete an assignment may vary greatly from the time it takes you to complete the same project.
Plan, Plan, Plan!
Find a way to plan your time, whether electronic schedules, desk calendar, PDA, or daily planner.
Transfer all deadlines and appointments to a planner. This way you can visually see what is coming up in the next month, week, or day. With a visual representation of your schedule, you can properly allocate your time.
Create a routine. It takes 21 days to create a habit, but once it sticks, you have a well-established way to operate throughout the semester. Create routine places where you study, when you study, and how you study.
Maximize The Time You Have.
Be sure to understand when and where you are most productive. If you find it difficult to study in your room or home during the evening, use daytime hours. It is important to know when you perform tasks best.
When you prepare to study, make sure you have all the necessary materials accessible.
Understand the best environment for you to accomplish tasks. Can you work with the television on? Do you read best with music on? Is your home or room a common gathering place? Consider the surrounding factors within your space that may hinder or help your ability to work.
If you run errands often, create an efficient plan to hit all the necessary places in a logical order.
Utilize new spaces and previously wasted times.
Make use of free time in your schedule. Instead of going home or wasting time with friends between, before, or after classes, take those times work on assignments.
Utilize new places. Take your projects to a coffeehouse, the library, or a campus dining hall. Simply changing locations can help anyone become more productive.
Establish a “study place.” This place should not generally be used for other purposes. For example, sleep in your room, use the study lounge/living room for socializing, the table for mealtimes, and the library for studying. You should primarily associate whatever space you choose with studying.
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