1 Study Skills Corner #1 Organization & Time Management

2 Introduction to the Study Skills Corner Why do this in an A&P Laboratory? Is it mandatory? Will there be tests? What will you get out of it if you participate? What kinds of things will we cover? Check your list of references if you are interested in further reading.

3 What is organization? Organization is a systematic scheme for knowing where the things you need are located when you need them. Study Corner Skill #1: Organization Knowing “where” There are two essential rules of organization: 1. A place for everything, and everything in its place 2. Handle paper (or anything else) ONCE.

4 Create a place for everything you have to keep track of - File folders - File cabinets - Accordion folders - Boxes (with partitions) - Binders (3-ring) - Suggestions for other things? A place for everything…

5 Put things where they belong – as soon as you can! Handle everything ONLY ONCE! - Have a place to temporarily store things until you can put them where they will be stored permanently - Decide ONCE how you will handle a piece of paper, a journal, a flyer, an advertisement, etc. - File things away every night! - This will take discipline and perseverance - Suggestions for other things? Everything in its place…

6 Keep in mind that nobody can actually manage time – we can only manage ACTIVITIES, i.e., how we USE the time Study Corner Skill #2: Time Management There are two essential rules to time management: - Execute around your priorities - Use the 80/20 Rule (Pareto’s Rule)

7 Executing Around Your Priorities What exactly are your priorities? Are priorities and goals the same things? What roles do you play in life? –What priority to you give each role? –What goals do you have for each role? NOW is the time to REALLY THINK about your roles, goals, and priorities! DO IT!

8 The 80/20 Rule Remember this: 80% of results accrue from 20% of your effort. Think of the time you will save! Let’s look at some examples… –Reading your textbook –Taking notes –Your roles, goals, and priorities What’s the trick? Finding out what the 20% is!

9 Planning Weekly planning is your best defense against running out of time! Put target dates on your calendar, and then work backwards to get ready to meet the target date. –Think about what YOU need to do to prepare –Always budget more time than you think you’ll need The essential rules of daily planning –Do your daily planning the night before –List the six most important things you have to do IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE Let’s look at the sample calendar for Lecture Exam 1.

10 References Frank, S. (1996). The Everything Study Book. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation. Koch, R. (1997). The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less [CD]. Niles IL: Nightingale Conant. Nugent, M. N., & Vitale, B. A. (2004). Test Success: Test-taking Techniques for Beginning Nursing Students (4 th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company. Vaccaro, P. J. (2000). The 80/20 Rule of Time Management [On-line]. Available: