Centre for Academic Success

Study Guides : Study Skills

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2.10 Time management

3. Make photocopies of this schedule for weekly time management adjustments.

4. Fill in study time for one week on one of your schedules, based on the class work, tests, papers, and projects that you have that specific week.
As you schedule study hours, remember to keep in mind that different people study different ways. Some classes will be take less time to study for than others, and other classes may require more effort. Be sure to ask yourself the following questions:

At what time of day do I prefer to study? Morning, afternoon, or night?
Do I prefer to study for several hours at a time or for short chunks of time?
What are my easiest and most difficult courses?
Will I study on the weekends? (Remember that Sunday is usually a study night that can be used for planning assignments and catching up.)

Use your answers to these questions as a guide when scheduling your study time. Also, be sure to schedule breaks after a block of two hours of studying (this is the maximum – some people work best in shorter chunks, with shorter breaks in between). This will help you to be refreshed and refocused!

5. Try your schedule for a week. When you schedule your study time for the next week, ask yourself what you liked and didn't like about the previous week's schedule, and change things accordingly. This will help you to create a schedule that is best suited to your habits and needs.

Weekly time schedule

Week Of:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
7.30
8.00
8.30
9.00
9.30
10.00
10.30
11.00
11.30
12.00
12.30
13.00
13.30
14.00
14.30
15.00
15.30
16.00
16.30
17.00
17.30
18.00
18.30
19.00
19.30
20.00
20.30
21.00
21.30
22.00
22.30
23.00

Steps for Creating a Term/Semester Schedule

1. Collect all of your course syllabi.

2. Print out a Time Management Calendar. You will need four copies of the calendar, one for each month of the term/semester.

3. Using your course syllabi, fill in on each of the term's monthly calendars all of your exams, essays, presentations and due dates for other important projects.

4. Using these calendars, you can see which weeks of the semester will be the busiest, and plan your time accordingly. If you have several assignments during one week, you may want to start studying several weeks in advance to avoid cramming! Many people find it helpful to set their own deadlines for their work. For example, if you have an essay due on May 1, set a deadline of April 24 for completing the rough draft. Write in these deadlines on your calendars to help yourself stick to them!

Steps for Planning for Your Courses

1. Collect all of your course syllabi.

2. Print out a Course Chart.

3. Under Course, list each course title with your most difficult course at the top, to indicate its high priority, and your easiest course at the bottom. Under each course title, set a goal by adding the final grade you want to earn in that course.

4. Under Tutor, record name, office hours, office location, and phone number. You may want to visit each tutor’s office hours during the first two weeks of classes, to introduce yourself and to ask any questions you may have. Get acquainted with each tutor early, especially in your most difficult courses, and you'll be more likely to seek help regularly, before problems with marks can arise. Seeing this entry on your chart will remind you to take this step.

5. Under Exams, briefly list the dates and types of each exam, and how much it counts toward your final mark (e.g., exam 60%, 3 essays, 40%). Do the same under Assignments and again for Other, for courses in which homework, or test marks contribute to your final mark. Leave blanks for any courses in which these do not apply. These three spaces show you, at a glance, exactly what you have to do — and when — to earn the final mark you want to achieve.

6. Under Attendance Policy and Late Assignment Policy, note any special requirements of individual tutors.. Some tutors dramatically lower marks for late work, while others are less strict. Your chart will make it easy to meet individual requirement that can affect your marks.

7. Post your completed chart prominently, where you will see it every day. Seeing all of your course demands condensed onto one sheet of paper, rather than spread out over five multi-page syllabi, is the first step in organizing and balancing your approach to the semester.

8. Be sure all of the important dates you have listed (exams,assignments) are listed on your semester calendar!

After completing this long-range plan, create a Weekly Time Management Schedule to help manage your study time on a weekly basis!


Month:

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday

Year - Term/semester

Course	Tutor	Exams	Assignments	Other	Attendance Policy	Late Assignment Policy

(adapted from Sweet Briar College, Academic Resource Center, Sweet Briar, VA, USA, available from http.www.arc.sbc.edu)

Links to further resources on time management