TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. GETTING STARTED Reading skills, Writing Skills, Listening Skills.

  2. LEARNING Developmental Levels of Learning.

  3. THE TEXTBOOK Title, Copyright Page, Table of Contents, Preface, Chapter Titles, Subheadings, Chapter Summaries, Study Questions, Appendix, Glossary, Reference Page, Index, Study Guide.

  4. NOTES Highlighting, Lecture Note Taking, Textbook Outlining, Study Sheet, Flash Cards, Tape Recording Notes.

  5. TIME MANAGEMENT Calendar, To Do List, Studying Time.

  6. STUDYING PROCEDURES Study Place, Work Area, Study Method, Studying with Others.

  7. TESTS Types of Tests, Multiple Choice, True/False, Matching, Sentence Completion, Fill in the Blank, Essay, Open Book Tests, Study Strategies for Questions, Test Taking Techniques, Things to Do Beforea Test, Relax After a Test.

  8. MANAGING STRESS Ways to reduce stress.

  9. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE GRADE

Copyright 1992, 2005 Lamon H. Small

Text used by permission.

Chapter 5

Time Management

Whether you are attending college or high school, studying to improve your career or preparing for job advancement, time management is one of the most important aspects of creating successful and productive study habits. In fact, good time management is a crucial element to organizing not only your study time but also your entire life.

Time management is probably the hardest part of establishing productive study skills. It is one of the most important parts of the formula for productivity and success. Do not be a slave to time. Make time work for you, and spend your time wisely.

The word "no" is the single most time management tool you have. Remember it when you have school work to do and your friends want to go partying. Just say no until your work is completed. Once you have established good study time management skills, you will have more time to enjoy other activities.

Time management has to be practiced just like anything else. It usually does not come easy and therefore must be worked at.

Plan your schedule thoroughly. Do not overload yourself. If you do, you are just setting yourself up for failure. Think through your plans before you make your decisions.

    • Plan your time wisely and figure in all aspects of your life: job, social life, family life, and relaxation.
    • Make sure you create a workable schedule.
    • Create a schedule that fits your needs and one that you can manage and live with.
    • Make sure it is well balanced so as to include the three elements of work, study, and play.

Set aside a certain time of the day to study. Decide which is best for you. Things to consider: are you a morning, afternoon, evening, or late-night type person? Decide which type of person you are and establish your study schedule accordingly.

Time management is very important when considering significant others such as family, wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, friend, and others.

You have to establish priorities to account for your relationships. When doing this, you have to establish a list of priorities to concentrate on. Determine what is most important. Some things you will have to let go. Others you will have to postpone. Do not be fooled by that myth that "I can handle everything."

 

You do not pay the price of success. You enjoy its rewards.

 

  • Set up your educational priority list now. Some things to include are plans for education, career, family, and social life.

1. _________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________

College is an investment. You get out of it what you put into it. Take it one step at a time—like building a house one brick at a time, until it is finished. It is not an easy task, but it is well worth the rewards you will realize in the end.

It is important to remember that college will require a certain amount of organization and management of time to be successful. This means learning to juggle your social life, academic life, work life, and family life. And because of this, it becomes very obvious that time management is extremely important. The better you manage your study time the more time you will have for the other parts of your life. When planning your time, make sure you include the following strategy into your formula.

You need to:

    • Work hard!
    • Study hard!
    • Play hard!

It is obvious that to get the most, from your study time you have to manage your whole life, not just small parts of it.

If you are not being productive, re-evaluate your schedule. If it is not working, decide why and adjust it to better fit your needs.

Your time schedule should not be carved in stone. If it is a schedule that you cannot live with, chances are you will not. Therefore it is important to create a workable and realistic schedule which fits your needs. You will find that as you gain more experience with time management it will be easier to establish a time management schedule that best fits your life style. With practice you will gravitate to a schedule that will fit your personality and the way you approach life.

 

CALENDAR

One of the first ways to start modifying your time management is with a calendar tracking system. The use of two calendars is very helpful. Purchase a yearly calendar planner to carry with you and a large calendar to place at your study area. This will allow you to keep everything organized and will save many hours during the term and throughout the year. When selecting calendars, make sure they have plenty of space to jot down daily events. They should have at least a two-inch square area for each day.

On the wall above your work area, place the large monthly planning calendar. When filling in each event, you need to use both a pen and a pencil. Use a pen to note what will not or should not change, such as class meeting times, test dates, or project due dates. Use the pencil to jot down events that are subject to change, like study group times, doctors appointments, and work schedules. Highlight all test dates, project due dates, and all other deadline dates. Make sure the calendar you carry with you contains the same entries. Keep both calendars as current and updated as possible.

At the beginning of each term take a few minutes and fill out each calendar. Use the class syllabus and the following guidelines to accomplish this.

    • List each class meeting date.
    • List each class meeting time.
    • List each test date.
    • List each term paper and project due date.
    • List reminders a week before these special events.

You should update both calendars regularly. Mark off each day by drawing a line through it. This will create a visual up-to-date picture of the term.

 

TO DO LIST

To further help you get organized, make a daily and weekly "To Do" list at the beginning of each week. This list should be made on a separate piece of paper. Paper clip this sheet to the front cover of your yearly planning calendar that you carry with you daily. List everything that you must do for the week. Cross off each item when it is completed. If one of your items is not completed, carry it over to the following week. Below are some items to include on this list.

    • Tests
    • Papers due
    • Projects due
    • Library work
    • Study group times
    • Appointments

Under this list attach a new ideas list. This will be for anything that you think of during the week that you need to list on a future weekly list. This will be an important aid in helping you get organized.

 

STUDYING TIME

We all seem to have natural times of the day that we function best—a time of day that seems to be optimal for productivity. Those times range from early morning to late night. To get the most out of your studying efforts, you need to think through your daily routines to discover which time of the day is best suited for you.

When establishing this time, consider the following:

    • Personal life style
    • Social life
    • Family life
    • Work schedule
  • Complete the following statement:

The best time of the day for me is:

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Next consider the amount of time that you can and will devote to studying. You need to study three hours for every one hour spent in class. Preparation is not considered part of those three hours. This needs to be thought through before you choose which courses and how many courses you will take per term.

Some time and consideration is needed here to determine what kind of time schedule is required to fit your needs best. While making this decision, you need to keep one important thing in mind: there is a definite correlation between the amount of time spent studying and the learning of that material. It is very obvious that the more time you spend studying, the better you will learn the material. The key here is to be productive and to spend your time wisely.