Many students make the mistake of putting off work until they have hours and hours of unclaimed time. You can almost never find those periods, except at night when your energy and focus are waning to non-existent, and when everyone around you wants to socialize. Instead of waiting for the perfect study time to present itself, use the time that you do have wisely, and you’ll find that you’ll keep your focus and energy much higher, and all the productivity will put your attitude at an all-time positive. Here are some tips to help.
Looking through your day planner, full of classes, activities and extracurriculars, can be overwhelming, and it can be daunting to think about just when you’ll be able to get all your readings, assignments and studying done as well. Your jammed schedule can actually work in your favour, however. It’s easier to work hard if you know that you only have a short period of time to study. If you look at your schedule carefully, you can find hidden pockets of time, and you can make using them routine. This is just one way to help you to succeed at university. Another is to check out Prep101.
- Get to class early and re-read your notes from the previous lecture. This is a very easy task. It takes ten minutes, tops, but it will help you to lock lecture material into your long term memory, get you in student mode, prepare you for the lecture, and make you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Finding a productive use of this tiny little pocket of previously unused time will make a big difference in your academic career. Additionally, the routine of getting to class early will help keep you from running late.
- Use the time between classes. It’s tempting to procrastinate, listen to music, check social media, or just stare into space, but these little pockets of time can really help you get your work done. Students often don’t use this time because it feels too tight to accomplish anything, but you’d be shocked by what you can get done. In fact, you’ll find that it’s often easier to focus more intensely in short periods. So find a quiet study space close to your next class, and use the walk over to prepare yourself mentally to work hard. Then choose one task to accomplish. It can be a class reading, getting started on an assignment or a problem set, or just reviewing lecture notes. If you use this time consistently, it will make a huge dent in your workload.
- When you get home in the evening, choose at least one task to accomplish before you check your email, social media, etc. You’ll find that getting right to work will keep you productive. Checking social media (even just a look) is a massive time-drain, and it can take you even more time to get yourself away from your phone or computer, and more time still to get back into work mode. If you choose one thing to do, and get it done before you even start to unwind, you’ll find that the sense of accomplishment might motivate you to get even more done before the night is done.
- Find a use for previously wasted time. There are many pockets of time that we simply don’t use wisely, such as laundry, waiting for the oven, etc. You’ll find that you can easily get started on your readings on this time, and then you’ll have more time for socializing and having fun at the end of the day.
Looking through your day planner, full of classes, activities and extracurriculars, can be overwhelming, and it can be daunting to think about just when you’ll be able to get all your readings, assignments and studying done as well. Your jammed schedule can actually work in your favour, however. It’s easier to work hard if you know that you only have a short period of time to study. If you look at your schedule carefully, you can find hidden pockets of time, and you can make using them routine. This is just one way to help you to succeed at university. Another is to check out Prep101.
