Hit the ground runningStarting study: How to get going and time

management skills

Learning outcomes

By the end of this session you will be able to apply timetabling and prioritising skills to get started with studying at university level.

Five steps to better time management at university

1. Get a wall planner2. Fill in a timetable3. Write a “to do” list4. Prioritise your tasks5. Bounce back from the brink (or

how to recover when it all turns to custard)

But first…How much time should you spend studying?

• 12 hours per paper (single semester) per week–That’s an average, and it changes depending on whether you’ve got assignments due or exams etc.

• In short, the answer is “lots”• Think of it as a full time job

Step one: Get a wall planner

• Sometimes there are free ones – otherwise try and buy one early

• Get stickers or highlighters, and write down when your exams are, and when assignments are due

Step two: Fill in a timetable

Step two: Fill in a timetable

• Block out your lecture times• Block out your tutorials• Block out existing commitments – anything

you do on a regular basis• Look at the time you have left and block

out your study time

Two tips

When you block out your study time, think about having breaks (study for 50 minutes,

10 minute break etc.)

Be honest about how when you’re likely to study – are you really going to study on a Friday night or Saturday morning? If not,

don’t block it out as study time (block it out as “me” time).

Study

Lecture

Study

Gym

Paid work

Study

Paid work

Lecture

Lecture

Lecture

Study

Study Study Study

Study

Study

Study

Study

Tutorial

Tutorial

TutorialTutorial

Tutorial

StudyGym

Step three: Write a to do listBut:

• How do you know what you should be doing?

• Check out Stream, your study guide, go to your lectures.

• The assignment planning calculator is a useful tool.

• What sort of things could you write on your “to do” list?

• Read lecture notes• Read and take notes: (specific chapters in text

books, and/or journal articles posted by lecturers• Do quizes or answer re-cap questions

Step four: Prioritise your tasks

But:• How do you know how long

something is going to take? • How do you decide what to do

first?

How do you know how long something is going to take?

• Sometimes you don’t – use the time and a half rule

• Also think: is it a task that I need to do (read a chapter of my text book for example) OR

• Is there a time limit – do I only have an hour to do some reading

How do you decide what to do first?

Look at your wall planner, when are your assignments due

When are your lectures (what should you read beforehand)

Sometimes things have to be done first (because there are deadlines)

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do first, as long as everything is done is a certain time period (that week, that day)

Step five: Bouncing back from the brink

What has gone wrong?What have you done to get back on track?

Sometimes things go wrong and it’s our fault:

• distracting ourselves (like cleaning the house instead of studying, checking Facebook)

• constantly putting off studySometimes things go wrong because “life gets in the road”

Step five: Bouncing back from the brink

Avoiding avoidance…Procrastination and distraction• Break your assignment into small, manageable

tasks. • Make checking Facebook/send texts etc, a

reward• Turn off automatic notifications (email etc)• Remind yourself of the end goal as a way into

seeing the relevance of your study to your life.• Follow the DIN approach – do it now!

Step five: Bouncing back from the brink

Life getting in the road• Look at your timetable, is there time in the

evenings or mornings that you can use?• Are there existing commitments that you

can put on hold?• If you have kids, can someone else look

after them at the weekend?Insist on having your time for study: Tell you

family, friends, and flatmates that you are studying and they are not to interrupt you!

Step five: Bouncing back from the brink

Discussion:• What do you think about getting

extensions?

Time management tool

Assignment planning calculator on OWLL

http://owll.massey.ac.nz

Getting on to OWLL

Go to the Massey homepage1. Select Student life

2. Select Online writing and learning link

The assignment planning calculator

Check out the timetable

Assignment planning calculator

• Initial planning• Researching• Writing• Reviewing and revising• After the assignment

Some people follow the calculator guide exactly, other people use it to remind them of the sorts of things they should be doing.

Re-cap1. Get a wall planner2. Fill in a timetable3. Write a “to do” list4. Prioritise your tasks5. Bounce back from the brink (or how to

recover when it all turns to custard)

Check out the upcoming library sessions Information on StudyUp page, along with

resources from this session