Something I decided I want to do this year was made sure I was using my time efficiently. I feel like in my first year of university I didn't use my time efficiently and this year is already very stressful. I haven't even been back a month and I feel the pressure hitting me. So I sat down and made a schedule of how I could be using my time better and I thought I'd share some tips of how you could too.
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| A brief overview of what my study schedule looks like |
Block Your Lessons
The thing that will take up the most of your time are your lessons. My first tip would be to block out when you have lessons. It will mean you can see when you are free and how you can use your time. For me, most of my Monday's and Tuesday's are taken up by lessons, so I know that I won't have time to study on those days. I also have lessons on Thursday afternoons, so I know that I can spend the mornings studying. It's about working around things that you can't move and making the most of the remaining time.
Plan Chilled Evenings
Something else I decided was pretty important was to make sure I took time off from studying. I wanted to make sure I didn't feel guilty about taking time off. I have two chilled evenings scheduled in a week, to make sure that I have more than one night off a week. It is important to let yourself have time off and to make sure you are well-rested. Making sure you are well enough to study the next day is just as important as spending all your time studying.
Manage the Rest of Your Time
If you know if you have something planned such as work or a society, then put it in. That way you will always make time for it. Something that is really important to me is that I go to the gym four times a week. I have that scheduled in so I can make sure I have time to do it and fit everything else in that I want to do in the day. Something else that is pretty important to me is making sure I have time for my part-time job. I have all of these scheduled in so I can make sure I have time to study and get everything done.
Make it Realistic
You are not going to spend every waking hour studying. You have to make your schedule realistic, otherwise, you will feel pressure to achieve. You want to feel productive without feeling like you are forcing yourself to work every hour God sends. Plan for hours you will know you will be working, you don't need to map out the whole day. Mine starts at 6am (I usually get up at 7) and ends at 9pm. It's realistic. I'm currently in the process of getting used to using it to manage my time and you shouldn't be disheartened if you can't stick to it straight away.
