Time managment Student Services Orientation Extra 2011 Angela Dierks

Why does it matter? "Time management is the skill which above all others can make the difference between graduating and drop out.” Ruth Pickford and Sally Brown, Assessing Skills and Practice (London: Routledge, 2006), 47 Student Services

Consider the following What current pressures are there on your time? Have you thought about how you are going to fit in studying? If so, what ideas have you had? Have you considered the difference between time management at under- and post graduate level? Student Services

Time management tips Have a plan Learn to prioritise Break down time and tasks Organise your study material Talk to your subject librarian about resources in your field of study Tackle distractions and procrastination Student Services

Have a plan Have a daily and weekly schedule noting down targets and what you need to do to achieve them Distinguish between short term and long term study goals Keep an eye on your schedule to be aware of approaching deadlines Student Services

Learn to prioritise Importance and urgency Student Services ImportantUnimportant Urgent Not Urgent

Break down time and tasks Small pockets of time – around 45 minutes – are more productive: short and frequent portions of time soon mount up Pareto Principle: 20% of our efforts deliver 80% of our results; 20% effort delivers an acceptable result, not perfect, but good enough Break down task into smaller chunks Student Services

Organise your study material Save time by having a system for keeping lecture notes, in online or hard copy folders or on index cards Note down references as you are reading and writing, eg by using EndnoteWeb Highlight relevant parts of your reading with a marker Student Services

Talk to your subject librarian Find out about relevant material in your field Search online databases in your field; you save time doing research in the library Search online journals; you can do a search by topic Student Services

Distractions and procrastination Avoid lots of displacement activities Check that your study goals are realistic – are you trying to do too much? Know yourself Reward yourself Just do it – something is better than nothing Talk to your family members/friends asking them to respect your study time Identify your time wasters Student Services