Choosing a study place, dealing with distractions TIME MANAGEMENT 1 Choosing a study place, dealing with distractions

Why Manage Time Most people do what they want whenever they can and what they have to do when they must This type of person responds to rather than controls their time demands

Why Manage Time College students spend approx. 11 hours a week studying Because school is such a large part of your life it makes sense to try to budget the available time in order to maximize it

Factors to Consider - Physical You all know from health science that after eating the stomach requires a large part of our available blood supply to process the food. Thinking can also require a large part of your blood supply. Because of this, studying should not follow eating.

Factors to Consider - Physical Another constraint is sleep. If you are sleepy it may be difficult to concentrate. Studying requires a great deal of concentration Research has shown the best memory retention comes from studying just before you sleep The last items looked at seem to stay in the consciousness longer and therefore are more readily remembered later

Factors to Consider - Physical Another factor is energy level. Most of you probably are aware that certain parts of the day seem to be your strongest mentally and physically Some people say they are morning workers. Others like early afternoon. Still others are night people. Which are you?

Factors to Consider - Physical If you don’t know, try to find out by examining how you feel during the day. On your daily calendar, write notes as to when you feel the most energetic Keep this up at least six weeks, perhaps with notes about how well and how long you slept

Factors to Consider - Physical Another factor may be exercise. Most people do better at mental tasks when they exercise regularly Some even do better right after exercising even though their energy level has been lowered. Part of the reason may be relaxation. After exercising, it is often easier to relax

Factors to Consider - Physical When you are relaxed, you concentrate better. There are many techniques that will help you to relax when studying (see the presentation on test anxiety).

Choosing a Study Place One of the first things that will help you relax is having a comfortable study place.

Choosing a Study Place What distractions are around you A study place should be chosen with the knowledge that it will make a difference in how well you study

Choosing a Study Place It is important to select a comfortable place to study Your study place should remind you that what you are doing is studying Once selected, stock it with study materials a dictionary note paper pens and pencils

Choosing a Study Place Do you study in your bedroom turn off the TV unplug the telephone tell others in the house to let you concentrate

Choosing a Study Place Some people like to study at a desk, others on their bed, and still others on the floor. It depends on you.

Distractions Your study area and your study time need to be planned to allow you to concentrate To develop good study habits, your studying should be at a regular time and place

Distractions For some people, music is a study aid. Unlike music, television is a proven distraction The telephone is an unplanned interruption and therefore a distraction turn off your cell phone Family or friends interrupting would also be a distraction

How to Use Your Study Time Now that you have chosen your time and place remind yourself that you truly do want to study start removing distractions, both physical and mental put aside thoughts about anything else then start with routine tasks first it is similar to a stretching or warm up routine in a physical task you should build your concentration also accomplish the easier homework

How to Use Your Study Time Next, examine your schedule and choose harder assignments. Often students like what they consider easy subjects. But this isn’t always a reflection of how hard the subject is. It may be more because of a great or poor teacher, or even which classes you share with friends.

How to Use Your Study Time Once you have identified your harder subjects, they should be broken up into parts that can be accomplished in the amount of time that you know you can concentrate.