8.3: Time Management and Study Time

Introduction

All studying is not the same.

Sometimes, simply reading a chapter in a book may not be the most effective way to retain the information. Learning is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, and it helps to have multiple tools in your bag so that you can find the learning methods that work best for you specifically.

Often, how we study is related to what we study. What works well for a math class might not be the best method for a literature class. Understanding life hacks to studying can help you be strategic, and intentional, in how you prepare for class.

Technology also affects how we study. In today’s ever-connected society, we can’t overlook how screen time influences our daily lives. Do you find yourself distracted by social media or streaming media? We’ll explore ways to determine when technology is becoming a hindrance and how to tune it out.

Through this lesson, you’ll become better equipped to study even when life distracts you. Whether those distractions come from your surroundings or your loved ones, you’ll learn tips on how to make the most out of study time to maximize your opportunities to succeed.

Getting the Most Out of Now

The following strategies are designed to help you get the most from study time. Don’t feel pressured to use all of these or to tackle them in order. As you read, note the suggestions you think will be helpful, but pick one to use now. When that strategy becomes a habit, select another one to practice. Repeat this cycle, and enjoy the results as they unfold in your life.

Study difficult (or boring) subjects first. If your chemistry problems put you to sleep, then get to them first—while you are fresh. We tend to give top priority to what we enjoy studying, yet the courses that we find most difficult often require the most creative energy. Save your favorite subjects for later. If you find yourself avoiding a particular subject, get up an hour earlier to study it before breakfast. With that chore out of the way, the rest of the day can be a breeze.

Be aware of your best time of day. Many people learn best in daylight hours. If this is true for you, then schedule study time for your most difficult subjects (or face time for the most difficult people) before nightfall.

Use waiting time. Five minutes waiting for a subway, 20 minutes waiting for the dentist, 10 minutes in between classes. Waiting times add up fast. Have short study tasks ready to do during these periods, and keep your study materials handy. For example, carry 3 × 5 cards with facts, formulas, or definitions and pull them out anywhere. A cell phone with an audiorecorder can help you use commuting time to your advantage. Make a recording of yourself reading your notes. Play it back during your drive or bus or subway ride.

Study two hours for every hour you’re in class. Students in higher education are regularly advised to allow two hours of study time for every hour spent in class. If you are taking 15 credit hours, then plan to spend 30 hours a week studying. That adds up to 45 hours each week for school—more than a full-time job. The benefits of thinking in these terms will be apparent at exam time.

Keep in mind that the 2-hours-for-1 rule doesn’t distinguish between focused time and unfocused time. In one 4-hour block of study time, it’s possible to use up two of those hours with texting, breaks, daydreaming, or doodling. With study time, quality counts as much as quantity.

Setting Limits on Screen Time

Discover how much time you spend online. To get an accurate picture of your involvement in social networking and other online activities, monitor the time you spend online for a short period (for example, a week or two). Then, make conscious choices about how much time you want to spend online and on your phone or tablet. Don’t let screen-time activities distract you from meeting personal and academic goals.

Go offline to send the message that other people matter. It’s hard to pay attention to the person in front of you when you’re hammering out text messages or updating your Twitter or Snapchat. You can also tell when someone else is doing these things and only half-listening to you. How engaged in your conversation do you think that person is?

An alternative is to ignore your devices and be here now. When you’re eating, ignore your phone. Notice how the food tastes. When you’re with a friend, close your laptop. Hear every word he says. Rediscover where life actually takes place—in the present moment.

When it counts, your presence is your greatest present.

Get off the phone. The cell phone is the ultimate interrupter. People who wouldn’t think of distracting you in person might call or text you at the worst times because they can’t see that you are studying. You don’t have to be a victim of your phone. If a simple I can’t talk; I’m studying doesn’t work, use dead silence. It’s a conversation killer. Or short-circuit the whole problem by turning off your phone.

Use a regular study area. Your body and your mind know where you are. Using the same place to study, day after day, helps train your responses. When you arrive at that particular place, you can focus your attention more quickly.

Easy chairs and sofas are dangerous places to study. Learning requires energy. Give your body a message that energy is needed. Put yourself in a posture that supports this message.

Reach an agreement with people around you about your study time. These people include roommates, spouses or partners, parents, siblings, or children. Make the rules about study time clear, and be sure to follow them yourself. Explicit agreements—even written contracts—work well. One student always wears a colorful hat when he wants to study. When his wife and children see the hat, they respect his wish to be left alone.

Learn to say no. Saying no is a time-saver and a valuable life skill for everyone. Some people feel it is rude to refuse a request. But you can say no effectively and courteously. Others want you to succeed as a student. When you tell them that you can’t do what they ask because you are busy educating yourself, most people will understand.

Get ready the night before. Completing a few simple tasks just before you go to bed can help you get in gear the next day. If you need to make some calls first thing in the morning, then look up those numbers and write them down or note them on your cell phone. If you need to drive to a new location, find the address, map it online, or enter the location into your GPS. If you plan to spend the next afternoon writing a paper, get your materials together: notes, outline, textbook, paper and pen, or laptop—whatever you need. Pack your lunch or put gas in the car. Organize the baby’s diaper bag and your briefcase or backpack.

Ask yourself, Could I find the time if I really wanted to? The next time you’re tempted to say, I just don’t have time, pause for a minute. Question the truth of this statement. Could you find four more hours this week for studying?

Suppose that someone offered to pay you $10,000 to find those four hours. Suppose, too, that you will get paid only if you don’t lose sleep, call in sick for work, or sacrifice anything important to you. Could you find the time if vast sums of money were involved? When it comes to school, vast sums of money are indeed involved.

Ask yourself, Am I willing to promise it? This time-management idea might be the most powerful of all: If you want to find time for a task, promise yourself—and others—that you’ll get it done. Unleash one of the key qualities of master students and take responsibility for producing an outcome.

Finding Time for Reading

If you are feeling overwhelmed by your workload, making a plan for how (and when) to tackle the job can help to put your mind at ease. Planning dispels panic (I’ve got 300 pages to read before tomorrow morning!) and helps you finish off your entire reading load for a term.

Creating a reading plan is relatively simple if you use the following steps:

Step 1: Estimate the total number of pages you’ll read. To arrive at this figure, check the course syllabus for each class you’re taking. Look for lists of reading assignments. Based on what you find, estimate the total number of pages you’ll read for all your classes.

Step 2: Estimate how many pages you can read in one hour. Remember that your reading speed will be different for various materials. It depends on everything from the layout of the pages to the difficulty of the text. To give your estimate some credibility, base it on actual experience. During your first reading assignment in each course, keep track of how many pages you read per hour.

Step 3: Estimate your total number of reading hours. Divide the total number of pages from Step 1 by your pages-per-hour from Step 2. For example, look at this calculation:

600 (total number of pages for all courses this term) ÷ 10 (pages read per hour) = 60 (total reading hours needed for the term

The result is the total number of hours you’ll need to complete your reading assignments this term. Remember to give yourself some wiggle room. Allow extra hours for rereading and unplanned events. Consider taking your initial number of projected hours and doubling it. You can always back off from there to an estimate that seems more reasonable.

Step 4: Schedule reading time. Take the total number of hours from Step 3 and divide it by the number of weeks in your current term. That will give you the number of hours to schedule for reading each week.

60 (total reading hours needed for the term) ÷ 16 (weeks in the term) = 3.75 (hours per week to schedule for reading

Now, go to your calendar or long-term planner and reflect on it for a few minutes. Look for ways to block out those hours next week.

Step 5: Refine your reading plan. Scheduling your reading takes time. The potential benefits are beyond calculation. With a plan, you can be more confident that you’ll actually get your reading done. Even if your estimates are off, you’ll still go beyond blind guessing or leaving the whole thing to chance. Your reading matters too much for that.

Dealing with Interruptions

Sometimes, the people you live with and care about the most—friend, roommate, parent, spouse or partner, or child—can become a temporary roadblock to reading or studying. This happens when our time is spent taking care of the needs of others—even at the expense of our own priorities.

The following strategies can help you stay focused on your reading or studying:

Attend to people first. When you first come home from school, keep your books out of sight. Spend some time with your roommates or family members before you settle in to study. Make small talk and ask them about their day. Give the important people in your life a short period of full, focused attention rather than a long period of partial attention. Then, explain that you have some work to do. Set some ground rules for the amount of time you need to focus on studying. You could be rewarded with extra minutes or hours of quiet time.

Plan for interruptions. It’s possible that you’ll be interrupted even if you set up guidelines for your study time in advance. If so, schedule the kind of studying that can be interrupted. For example, you could write out or review flash cards with key terms and definitions. Save the tasks that require sustained attention for more quiet times.

Use “pockets” of time. See whether you can arrange a study time in a quiet place at school before you come home. If you arrive at school 15 minutes earlier and stay 15 minutes later, you can squeeze in an extra half hour of reading that day. Also look for opportunities to study on campus between classes.

Read with children underfoot. It is possible to have both effective reading time and quality time with your children. The following suggestions come mostly from students who are also parents. The specific strategies you use will depend on your schedule and the ages of your children.

Find a regular playmate for your child. Some children can pair off with close friends and safely retreat to their rooms for hours of private play. You can check on them occasionally and still get a lot of reading done.

Create a special space for your child. Set aside one room or area of your home as a play space. Childproof this space. The goal is to create a place where children can roam freely and play with minimal supervision. Consider allowing your child in this area only when you study. Your homework time then becomes your child’s reward. If you’re cramped for space, just set aside some special toys for your child to play with during your study time.

Use TV responsibly. Whenever possible, select educational programs that keep your child’s mind active and engaged. Also see whether your child can use headphones while watching TV. That way, the house stays quiet while you read or study.

Schedule time to be with your children when you’ve finished studying. Let your children in on the plan: I’ll be done reading at 7:30. That gives us a whole hour to play before you go to bed.

Ask other adults for help. Getting help can be as simple as asking your spouse, partner, neighbor, or a fellow student to take care of the children while you study. Offer to trade child care with a neighbor: You will take her kids and yours for two hours on Thursday night, for example, if she’ll take them for two hours on Saturday morning.

Find community activities and services. Ask whether your school provides a day care service. In some cases, these services are available to students at a reduced cost.