How do I best manage my time?
Time management
Understanding the shape of your semester
Courses delivered remotely often provide you with a great deal of flexibility in organizing your time. This can be a tremendous asset, particularly if you are balancing study with work, family, or other commitments. However, this also requires you to accurately determine how much work you must complete over the semester, and to develop a plan that allows you to complete this work effectively.
Many students find it helpful to develop a semester schedule that provides an “overview at a glance” of what will be required. You will find the information you need for this in your course outlines.
Video Transcript: Creating a Semester Schedule
Creating a master schedule for your whole semester can help you to see the big picture and to stay on track.
Here are 3 STEPS you can take to use your course outlines to create a semester schedule.
Step 1: Create a table with 7 columns, one column for each day of the week, and with one rows for each week of the semester. Label the days, Monday, Tuesday, and all the way along, across the top of the table. Then label the weeks, across the side of the table. At this point you can also add specific dates for each week of the semester.
Step 2: Next, gather up all of your course outlines for the semester. You should have one for each course you are taking, which includes details about the weekly schedule and readings, assignment due dates, and exams. If you have a part time job, and know your schedule, and if you have family commitments which have a regular schedule, gather up these schedules as well.
Step 3: Now, go through the course outline looking for important details and commitments that will take place in Week 1 of the semester. This could include required course readings, homework and assignments. On your semester schedule table, find the day of the week these commitments need to be completed by and write them down. Make sure to include the course name, the details of the commitment, and what it is worth if it is a graded assignment. Now keep working through your course outline, through each week of the semester. Keep following these same steps for each of your courses, until you have completed your schedule.
Now, add important life events to your semester schedule – this might include work events, family events, trips and special occasions.
In summary, once you have completed these 3 steps using your course outlines to create a semester schedule, you will now have a central and easily accessible schedule that includes all of your commitments, in one place. You won’t have to go searching through piles of paper, or back online through the course website, to remember what you have to get done each week. As well, being able to see, in one place, what your commitments are today, this week, and in the upcoming weeks, can help you organize your time in the most efficient way possible.==
Adapted from Learning to Learn Online by Kwantlen Polytechnic University under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Creating a semester schedule
A semester schedule gives you a visual picture of the assignments, projects, tests, exams, presentations, and practicum requirements that will happen during the semester. If you are taking a number of classes, this is a tool to be able to see what is coming up next.
By having the “big picture” in view, you will be able to proactively manage busy periods in your semester. If you have flexible due dates, you will be able to schedule your assignments for the optimal time in the semester. For example, you may notice that you have a larger than typical number of major assignments due in week 6. This allows you to schedule work on some of these projects earlier in the semester.
Look at the example semester schedule below. What do you notice about what the student chose to include? What will you include on your semester schedule?
Adapted from Learning to Learn Online by Kwantlen Polytechnic University under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Your next step is to create a weekly schedule. This will include your class times for classes, work commitments, volunteer roles, practicum placements, as well as any other regular events in your week. A weekly schedule is a good tool to evaluate whether your time use allows you to meet your overall goals. Do you have enough time for study? Is there time to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Analyze the example student schedule below. What do you notice about how this student has planned their week?
The following principles will guide you as you create your weekly schedule:
- Record your regular weekly commitments on the schedule template.
- Designate regular study blocks for each of your classes. Remember that university courses typically require at least 9-12 hours of weekly study. Remember that it is more effective to study for multiple, shorter blocks of time during the week than to plan for one extended study block. Shorter study periods will allow for greater focus. Regular review will help you retain information well.
- Record meal times, family times, laundry times, etc.
- Record all regularly scheduled personal activities such as meetings, employment and athletics.
- Record any special activities you need to do or want to do on a regular basis.
- Schedule to start your study period with the courses you like least or that you’re not doing well in. Try to study the same subjects at the same time each study day. Although this seems to be a mechanical way of scheduling, you will find that such a routine can help you develop a pattern for efficient and effective learning.
- Schedule a weekly review (WR) for each course. Do it at the end of the week if possible. This weekly review gives you an opportunity to go over the past week’s notes along with the reading assignments to see what you have been learning in the past week during class and study time for each course. You can also look ahead to plan the next week and determine how much reading you need to do, what projects are due, and if any tests are scheduled.
- Keep open some time for daily physical activity. Remember, research indicates that regular exercise will not only give you a general sense of well-being, but can reduce tension and help you accomplish a tough class, study, and work schedule.
- Label some empty blocks of time as OPEN for academic or personal needs.
- Schedule some time during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for you to play, relax, or do whatever you want to do. This is your reward for sticking to your schedule. In addition, you’ll enjoy your free time more. Because it is scheduled you do not need to feel guilty.
Adapted from Learning to Learn Online by Kwantlen Polytechnic University under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Managing daily tasks
Now that you can see the big picture of your semester and weekly priorities, the next step is to create a daily to-do list to prioritize your tasks.
Managing daily tasks
Now that you can see the big picture of your semester and weekly priorities, the next step is to create a daily to-do list to prioritize your tasks.
Managing Daily Tasks Video Transcript
By the time you’ve finished the day today, what will you have accomplished? A system to manage your daily to-do list will help you prioritize effectively and use your time efficiently. For every task you have to complete, you need to decide:
- When do I need to finish this by?
- How much time will it take?
- Is this task a priority, or can it wait until later?
A good to-do list helps you make sure that you complete all of your high priority tasks, and that you allocate a manageable amount of work to each day. So, how do you make a daily task list? First, you will want to find the format that works best for you. Some people prefer to use a paper planner. Others prefer to use the reminders function on their phone, or another task list app. Choose the format that meets your needs the best. Second, you will need to divide your work into tasks that are specific, measurable, and achievable. In general, a task should be anything that you can complete in a single work period – for example, in an hour or less. If you have a large project, break it down into smaller tasks.
Third, you will need to assign your tasks to a specific day. Make sure that each day’s task list is reasonable and achievable.
Fourth, prioritize each day’s tasks. What tasks must be finished today. Be sure that you complete these before moving on to lower priority tasks. After the most important things have been done, move on to the less urgent tasks.
At the end of the day, decide what to do with any tasks that aren’t yet complete. Most often, you will move the task to another day. You might also decide that the task isn’t important, and delete it from your list.
Finally, be sure to reward yourself for a day’s work well done. If you are able to create an effective motivational system for yourself, you will be less likely to procrastinate, and more likely to finish your most important work each day.
To summarize, a daily to-do list can help you stay on track and achieve your most important goals. Choose a tool that works for you, organize your tasks, prioritize them, and work through your list each day.
Choose a daily task management system
Some students prefer paper-based task management systems, while others prefer to use technology to manage daily tasks. Consider the following advantages and disadvantages of systems you might choose.
Consider what kind of task management system will help you most in your current study program:
- What kind of time management system do you prefer? Paper or technology-based?
- Do you plan to keep your current time management system, or make some changes to support your learning? If you are trying a new system, when will you evaluate how effective it is for you?
- When will you organize your daily tasks? Will you set aside a longer block of time on a weekly basis for planning, or set aside a few moments for planning at the beginning or end of each day?
Adapted from Learning to Learn Online by Kwantlen Polytechnic University under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Using small blocks of time
Through using smaller blocks of time you can cover material in chunks and not have to worry about the larger whole. A mistake that many people make is that they try to cram information into their minds in one large session. This isn’t a successful strategy for most students.
Look for smaller blocks of time to study. If you are a public transit user, you can likely spend 20 minutes on your bus ride to read or review for your upcoming class or exam. You could even listen to an audio recording of your notes. In the evening, instead of watching three episodes of your favourite TV show, you could watch one and spend the remaining time preparing for your studies. Going out to eat often? Consider making something simple at home that you could put in the oven to cook without needing tending to; that time could be used doing some work for class and still leave you time for other activities once dinner is done.
Using small blocks of time
Through using smaller blocks of time you can cover material in chunks and not have to worry about the larger whole. A mistake that many people make is that they try to cram information into their minds in one large session. This isn’t a successful strategy for most students.
Look for smaller blocks of time to study. If you are a public transit user, you can likely spend 20 minutes on your bus ride to read or review for your upcoming class or exam. You could even listen to an audio recording of your notes. In the evening, instead of watching three episodes of your favourite TV show, you could watch one and spend the remaining time preparing for your studies. Going out to eat often? Consider making something simple at home that you could put in the oven to cook without needing tending to; that time could be used doing some work for class and still leave you time for other activities once dinner is done.
Video Transcript: Using Small Blocks of Time Productively
Making time for your studies can be overwhelming. One trick to balancing work and study is taking advantage of small blocks of time to get things done.
In this video, you will consider the small blocks of time in your schedule, and identify strategies to increase your productivity during these moments in your day.
Often, we think we need to have a lot of time available for study, or we think that we can only study at home or in the library. By adjusting your thinking, you’ll be able to open up additional productive learning time.
- Do you commute by transit? Though it wouldn’t be ideal to try to master detailed or complicated reading material on the bus, perhaps you can do some initial scanning or skimming while in transit, to prepare yourself for class or deeper reading later.
- Consider creating flash cards for material that you need to learn. You can take a set of flash cards with you and work whenever a few minutes become available. If you use one of the many flash card or self-testing apps available on your phone, you’ll be able to easily pull out your phone and make use of those small blocks of time.
- Self-testing is one of the most effective ways to learn. Create a list of study questions for your course. Pull out the list when you have time available, and review a few questions. Keep track of those you answer correctly, and those you need to study more.
- Does your course include access to online videos that explain and review key concepts? Watch a video or two to review, or to improve your understanding of a key course idea.
- Some courses also include access to online self-study questions. Try answering a few review questions in your spare moments. These online quizzes usually provide immediate feedback on what you understand, and what you should study further.
- Do you like to learn by listening? Make an audio recording of the important points you want to remember, and listen while you commute or exercise. Maybe audio books are for you – are any of your course materials available in this format?
Adapted from Learning to Learn Online by Kwantlen Polytechnic University under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.