Finding the Successful Student Within RWLC Workshop Spring 2010

Time management is a powerful tool successful students use to avoid the stress and complications that come from forgetting to do homework, not having enough time to complete assignments, and cramming at the last minute to prepare for tests. Once a student understands and uses time management techniques, he or she can essentially cut down on not just the time it takes to work, but the time worrying about the work that’s not getting done. Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

 Determining goals, values, and priorities  Evaluating and adjusting your schedule  Planning out tasks  Staying caught up  Overall tips for studying Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

Determining your goals, values, and priorities is the starting point to realizing your time’s potential. In other words, you should know what’s most important and why in order to decide when you will do your work and how much time it should take. Ask yourself:  Why am I in college?  What are my educational goals?  What are my career goals?  What are my family responsibilities? Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

Now that you know what’s important to you, it’s time to see if you’re schedule reflects what you value most. Take some time to fill out a weeks- worth of your current life for assessment. Once finished with your schedule, evaluate your time management as it is right now. Doing this will help you decide how to adjust your life’s routine. Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

 Time in Class _____  Time Studying _____  Time at Work _____  Chores at Home _____  Family Time _____  TV _____  Eating _____  Driving _____  Personal Time _____  Total Hours _____ Now that you know how much time you spend doing your day to day activities, what would your preferred time per week be? What would you cut back on? What would you give more time to? Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

There are a few key considerations that help you adjust your schedule. The easiest is prioritizing. Without fail, every hour you are in class should be given two hours for study, so when you have work to do, ask yourself:  What has to be done first? Realizing the order of work to be done could be made easier by also asking yourself:  What are the due dates for the assignments I’m working on?  Which assignments affect my class grade the most? Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

One of the biggest tips to remember about managing an assignment schedule is that you shouldn’t overextend yourself. The best way to keep yourself in balance is to come up with a plan.  Know what time of day you are most mentally alert.  Set time limits for yourself so you can stay focused.  Break tasks into manageable and meaningful chunks. For example, by chapter or section. Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

While it is important to keep up with your class assignments, it is equally important that you are able to retain the information you are getting from accomplishing them. In other words, it’s not enough to read a chapter that is assigned. You must be able to get the “big picture” and say what it is about when you’re done. Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

Retaining the information you gather from class assignments can sometimes be difficult, especially if you are studying a topic you are uninterested in. Luckily, there are parts of time-management that also assist with retention, such as:  Breaking study sessions into time segments of 45 min – 1 hour at a time allows you to keep yourself from getting overloaded. Doing this for one to two weeks prior to a test can help you avoid “burn out” and thus you will retain more.  Forming a study group that meets regularly can focus your attention and offer you different perspectives, which can help you remember content more clearly. (WARNING: YOU MUST STAY ON TASK IN THESE STUDY GROUPS IN ORDER FOR THIS TO BE EFFECTIVE) Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

 Use mnemonic techniques to memorize lists, definitions, etc. (e.g. Never Eat Soggy Wheaties to remember North East South West, FANBOYS to remember coordinating conjunctions, or create a song about the topic yourself)  Teach the information to another person.  Make flashcards on the most important points of your reading.  Analyze past tests, quizzes, and handouts for areas that need refreshing. Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010

Balancing the time you take to do homework and other school-related assignments is not simply finding the time to do the work, nor is it really about getting everything done. Essentially, knowing what needs to be done, creating a plan, finding the most effective way to produce or retain information, and understanding what can be done out of the time you have given yourself will help you produce more quality work without going bananas. Some information adapted from and Tabbitha Zepeda © 2010