Hit the ground running Starting 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 planner 2. Fill in a timetable 3. Write a “to do” list 4. Prioritise your tasks 5. 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

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 Study Tutorial Study Gym

Step three: Write a to do list But: 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 study Sometimes 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 ( 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

Getting on to OWLL Go to the Massey homepage 1.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-cap 1. Get a wall planner 2. Fill in a timetable 3. Write a “to do” list 4. Prioritise your tasks 5. 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