Online Advising

Basic Principles

Find a plan that works for you and use it. There are many ways to plan your time. Plans can be by the day, by the week, by the month or in a "to do" list format. It is important to try different ones to find your own style.

Develop a realistic schedule. Write down all the tasks that you do habitually, including watching TV, doing laundry, walking to class, etc.

Identify the problem tasks. What are you leaving undone, doing inadequately or putting off? Make a list and be specific. Ask yourself questions. "Why don't I want to do this job? If I don't enjoy this task, is it possible for someone else to do it? What happens to me if I procrastinate on this task?"

Make the task meaningful. List the benefits of completing the task. Write down your reasons for doing it. Relate the task to your goals and be specific about the payoff and rewards.

Break big jobs into small, manageable parts. Make each task something you can accomplish in 15 minutes or less. Make the result measurable so you can see your progress. Example: Break down a long reading assignment into two or three page sections. List the sections and then cross off each section as you complete it. Give yourself a visual experience of getting something done.

Write an intention statement. Carry it with you, post it and make sure you see it often and regularly.

Tell everyone. Announce your intentions publicly. Tell your friends, your roommate, your parents. Make the world your support group.

Just do it! Plunge into the task. Gradual immersion could be slow torture. It is often less painful to just leap!

Use your "prime" times. Identify the times of the day when you are at your best or are the most creative. Set that time aside for serious work to accomplish the tasks. Keep a tally of hours actually spent on various tasks.

Be honest with yourself. When you notice yourself continually pushing a task into the low-priority category, re-examine the purpose for doing it at all. Quit telling yourself that you are going to do something you really don't intend to do. Drop it.

Know exactly what you're planning to do. Create an agenda for each day. This gives direction and a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Schedule flexible time. You need time which is left open for doing something, but it is you who decides what that something is when the time comes.

Reward yourself. A reward is something that you would genuinely withhold from yourself if you do not complete the task. Reward yourself for starting and completing the small tasks on the way to the final product. Save the big rewards for after the total project is completed.

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Study Schedule Timing and Tips

Plan your study time. This will help discourage procrastination. Remember to plan at least two hours for every hour spent in class. Pick the times you work best for the most difficult subject. Use daytime hours for studying when possible. Staying home to study, but getting nothing done, doesn't count.

Know when you work best. Are you a morning person? Study in the early hours and do everything else later. If you can't function well on three hours of sleep, avoid having to stay up late. If you tend to fall asleep after lunch, schedule physical activities rather than reading or comprehensive tasks.

Predict the amount of time needed for each assignment. By timing your assignments, you are more likely to concentrate and less likely to become bored. See how long it takes to read five pages of the textbook. This will help you estimate the time needed to complete a reading assignment. You may need to read some sections more than once. Allow time for reflecting on what you read.

Plan time for review. Every time you study, spend 10 minutes in review of previous assignments. These "refresher shots" are the secret for long-term memory. Since learning is cumulative, new ideas must be incorporated with previous learning from lectures, readings, assignments or labs.

Utilize those hours between classes for study. Try to study for a lecture course as soon as possible after the class. If necessary, review and revise, not recopy, your lecture notes before beginning the next subject. For a recitation or discussion course, schedule your study time as soon before the class as you can. Find a departmental library or a vacant classroom near your next class to avoid wasting time.

Schedule time slots wisely. Don't schedule yourself to study two similar subjects back to back. Material that is too similar becomes jumbled in the head. Go from math to English rather that to chemistry, for example.

More is not always better. After studying about 40 minutes, take a five-minute break. This refreshes your mind so that you can concentrate better and finish faster.

Set a time to quit. This puts an end in sight and pushes you to get work done by a certain time. Don't cram the night before a test, instead spread your study time out over shorter periods of time.

Schedule yourself a vacation. Allow one afternoon or one whole day during each week that you do not study. You must give yourself a recuperation day.

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Internal Time Wasters

Lack of objectives and priorities. If you don't know where you are going or what you must do first, you will never get to your goal.

Inability to say "NO!" Don't be afraid to tell your friends not to call or stop by during certain times of the day. You can zero in on the items you need to do, and then be free to enjoy your friends at your convenience.

Responding to the urgency of something rather than the importance. Maybe you don't need that special pair of pants washed if your time is limited.

Personal disorganization. Beware of messy work areas, poor record keeping systems and poor scheduling of activities.

Leaving tasks unfinished. Failure to complete a task results in additional start up time and reorganization time. Don't begin a new task until the previous one is completed.

Negative feelings. Stop fussing that you hate a subject or professor, or that you "can't do" an assignment. This wastes valuable energy you could be using to accomplish what you need to do.