CCB Library’s Guide to…
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Time Management CS 2014
Make a list • You can’t keep everything you need to do in your head. Making a list is an important first step to help you organise your tasks and make sure you don’t forget about any of them. It doesn’t matter if you use pen and paper or an online organiser, such as www.rememberthemilk.com or http://www.toodledo.com. • Break down your tasks into manageable, specific chunks (e.g. don’t just say ‘Leisure Studies research’ – specify what you’re looking for), and prioritise these chunks. • Add due dates where known to your list. • New tasks that crop up should be added to your list, and again broken down and prioritised. • Being able to tick off items from your lists gives you a visible sense of achievement! Plan your time • Create a timetable that includes all of your fixed commitments – lessons, sports practice, music lessons, etc. This will give you an overview of the time available to you for studying and leisure activities over the week/fortnight. • You should also mark on a calendar any deadlines that you know about. • Be flexible enough in your planning that you can accommodate anything that takes you longer than expected. • The more you stick to planning, the more able you will be to plan how long certain activities take you. Organisation • This is not the same as being tidy, although it helps if your workspace is clear! • Keep your files up to date and in order– use a different folder for each subject. • Keep a folder for daily or weekly work, but remember to file it back into your main subject file on a daily or weekly basis. • Summarise your class notes as you go if necessary – this will also help with revision later on. • Keep everything you need to hand – books, pens, paper, sticky notes, highlighters, etc.
Set study goals • Now you have your to-‐do list and your time planner, identify what you can do with the time available. • Make sure that you plan in the urgent and important tasks first. Your to-‐do list should have helped you work out which tasks these are. • Have a specific goal for your study time in mind. This will help you make the best use of your time, and give your study time some purpose. • Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable – there is no point setting yourself the goal of trying to write a 5,000 essay in one hour! Much better to aim to plan the essay, and write the introduction. Deal with distractions Hopefully, breaking down your work into smaller steps, and having a detailed study plan with short-‐term deadlines will help you avoid too much procrastination. However, as even the best intentions can be waylaid: • Take regular breaks – reward yourself for 50 minutes of work with a 10 minute break. • If you find your mind getting distracted, try working for shorter amounts of time, with short breaks in between (eg, 25-‐30 minutes with a 5 minute break). • Stick to your prioritised tasks. • Switch your phone off and tell your friends not to disturb you! • Set yourself rewards if you meet your targets – but be firm! • Give yourself a set time for social media activities – build it into your time planner. Take time for yourself • Make sure you have time out to relax. It is not sustainable to work 24 hours day! • Some ideas: gentle exercise such as yoga/swimming, reading for pleasure, meditation, walking, listen to music. Stick to it! • Review and reflect on your study patterns – perhaps you work better in the morning than the evening? If so, use that time for longer, more involved work, and use the evenings for smaller, less intensive tasks. • Keep continuously reviewing your to do list and study calendar. • Keeping to a routine will help you work more efficiently, and it should become second nature with a bit of practice and perseverance.
Geog Vocab
LS Research
LS Research
Geog Vocab Homework Geog Plan Homework LS Draft Homework Break Homework Homework Homework Homework Maths H/W Geog Plan
Homework Homework Geog Final
Leisure Studies Maths H/W Mindmap Geog Final Geog Vocab LS Research
Geog Vocab Geog Draft Geog Vocab Geog Draft Geog Vocab Geog Draft Geog Vocab
LS Plan LS Plan LS Plan
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In Summary • Establishing a list and work routine will help you maintain your motivation and focus. • Create a study plan – remember to plan in some breaks. • Be realistic about the amount of time you have to study – remember to factor in other commitments, such as sports training or social activities. • Plan your study periods and set goals. • Use rewards in conjunction with your goal setting to help motivate yourself – but be disciplined! • Use breaks effectively, particularly after completing a task. It will help your concentration and make learning and memorisation more effective. • Take time for yourself. • Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and use this to help you study effectively. A blank timetable has been added to Google Drive, and can be downloaded and edited via: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSExdKNqMewMGFaRkpuNXdneEU/view?usp =sharing