1. Tips for planning your assignment and managing your time
Study Skills Workshops 2016
Tips for planning your assignment and managing your time

2. By the end of the workshop you will…
Have some strategies for managing your time effectively.
Know how to plan study schedules for your assignment
Have some techniques for initial planning of your assignment
Be ready to start writing

3. Activity In pairs, Introduce yourself.
Share difficulties in time management – rating yourself out of 10 for your time management performance
Give the other person one tip that you have found useful to keep on top of things
2 mins for this activity

4. Digi Swap https://www.dnamatters.co.uk/resources/
Share an app, software or website that is useful for studying
Digital technology can enhance learning, studying, organisation and communication.
Ask each student to tell the group about their app, software or website, if not already mentioned - how they use it and why it is helpful.
Create a Digi App list/mindmap on white board to be added to during session.

5. Planning Choosing the right planning tools for the job
– diary, calendar, list, planner, phone apps
Work your way backwards from key dates
Create ‘milestones’ as you go
Break tasks down into smaller parts
Get into regular habits to check your plans
When choosing tools, it may be best to have 1 place to record all important information
e.g. Academic survival kit for breaking down essay writing into chunks

6. When is the best time to study?
Consider when you are the most alert
Factor in other commitments
Be realistic about how much time any task will take
Look at the time available – what could you do in 5 minutes? 30 minutes? 3 hours?
When will you have a break? *could use mobile phone timer function
for this!
Each individual will have different preferences.
Ask for a show of hands of those people who think they study best early morning/ lunchtime/afternoon/ evening/ nighttime
- is best study time related to the studying environment – could the environment be altered rather than adjusting study time?

7. Sticking to a timetable
Use assignment planning worksheet again- working backwards from deadline
Use the Assignment Survival Kit on ASK website – demo
Can use short-term (daily) lists/long term lists – colour code for priorities – traffic light system
Sticking to a timetable
How long is it going to take? Estimate and allocate time needed for:
- Analysing brief and planning the content
- Research Tasks
- Revising your plan
- Selecting and organising notes
- Producing the draft
- Revising and editing the draft

8. Initial Planning Read the title / brief
Use mind mapping handout
Try doing this with a fellow-student
Initial Planning
Read the title / brief
‘Brainstorm’ what you think should go into the assignment? List, Post-it, mind-map …
What do I already know?
What have I read?
What ideas / questions do I need
to research?
Which sources might be interesting
or valuable?

9. And finally…. Beware Procrastination!
Talking about your work instead of doing it!
Writers’ block…
Checking texts and s *Forest App blocks phone activity
Spending too long neatly presenting things
Switching high/low activities
Recognise your tactics and give yourself targets or rewards

10. Advantages of being organised
Meet deadlines
Reduce stress! – feel in control
More possibility to fulfil your potential
Builds confidence and ability to cope
Avoids too much multi-tasking
More of a social life!!?

11. Structuring, referencing and writing assignments 7th November
Session title
Week commencing
Structuring, referencing and writing assignments
7th November
Critical thinking for assignments to get a better grade
14th November
Next sessions