You go off to college and suddenly you are on your own. There is no one to prod you into doing your homework. Suddenly, you are facing the duty for figuring out just how to manage your time productively entirely on your own. Your predicament revolves around the fact that you have work to do and you want a social life as well.
I like to think of this as a problem to be solved. What I really want to do is segment the day into doable buckets of time. If all I do is divide my time have I really solved the problem? In fact, two related factors work best for me. I add variation to the mix.
Segmentation
The notion of segmentation forms the cornerstone of time management strategies; variation is the frosting on the cake. Don't just set aside hours to study. Create segments of time, each segment being a short burst of time, needed to conclude any project or assignment. A segment is 12 minutes long, no more and no less. Most projects require multiple segments but they do not have to be done in order.
It is a mistake to think that you must do everything right now; rather, segmentation of time provides you with a tool for spreading the work over lengthy time frames.
For me, segmentation really works well for reading assignments. On the first day, for example, I allot only one or two segments to scan the text and write down a few fundamental notes such as main ideas contained therein. On the second day, I allot enough segments to do a complete first read from the beginning to the end of the assignment. I am a quick reader so I assign about one segment for every twelve pages. You should figure your reading rate and compute according to that rate. If there are more than one chapter in the assigned reading, I will break the read into chapters and either provide a segmented break in between or assign segments in between for other course assignments. Now I am left with three more study days to review the text for understanding.
Variation
On days I am in class, I only work on assignments for that class or on assignments that have reached priority one status and are yet incomplete. On days I do not have class I do some work for each of my classes. This variation insures that my work remains fresh without becoming boring, that it doesn't put added strain on me because I am struggling to complete an assignment or that I somehow forget to do some trivial task.
I have another basic rule leading to assured variety... I never study on the weekend. That's right, never!
The final rule I follow this, I see if I can't organize or join a study group for each of my classes. As a member of a study group, I gain deeper insights because I can tap into the thinking of others.
David Longstreet is a retired professor of education. During his long career he helped many students achieve more than they ever expected. He shares his ideas about better study habits at http://www.StudySmarterSecrets.com where he is currently giving away his provocative email mini-course, Study Smarter...Not Harder. You can find moreGuidelines for Good Study Habits on his website. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Longstreet |
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