Posts from — December 2009

Using Your Personal Energy Flow To Improve  Time Management Study Skils

Just as water flows through a pipe electricity flows through the human body. You may have noticed that when you are the most productive you feel the most charged. This holds a valuable key to personal productivity. By knowing the ebb and flow of your energy levels you can schedule your study time to get more done. This is an important study time management tip.

For some people they are more productive in the morning. Early risers who know this should make an effort to rise early. By scheduling study time first thing you can often get a great deal done before you head off to class or attend to other more mundane tasks.

For others, the night time is the most productive part of the day. They tend to get more done by working in the evening or late at night. It doesn’t matter whether you are a morning or a night person. What counts is knowing which category you belong in and adapting your schedule accordingly. This helps you develop your time management study skills by ensuring that you work according to what works best for you.

For the scientific oriented, natural energy flow is often called biorhythms. Some people chart these on a monthly basis to determine peaks and troughs in personal energy levels. When you know how your personal energy levels ebb and flow you can use this information to support your student time management strategy.

You can still use personal energy levels effectively to improve your studying time management without going to this extent. By making a simple chart of the day broken down into hourly intervals you can make pertinent notes about your personal energy levels. If you do this over the course of a few months you will begin to discover working patterns that you can put to good use. This information can be invaluable when designing your time management schedule.

If you are a night person or someone who finds that your effectiveness is greater in the afternoon then you should attend to assignments during this time period or schedule presentations accordingly. In the same respect, you should avoid doing important tasks during the morning. Use this time to do other tasks that are part of your schedule.

The human body has peak and off peak times in the same fashion as local electricity charges. Once you know your peak and off peak times you can derive a greater output and raise your productivity by doing more important tasks when you are at your maximum efficiency. Employ this approach as part of your student time management strategy.

College Procrastination: Schedule Your Time And Work Your Schedule To Beat Procrastination

No matter how many time management books you read, one of the most challenging parts is setting up your schedule. Prior to college, students are usually set in a schedule that revolves around living life with your parents. When you enter college you are no longer bound to this structure. With all the events and new acquaintances you meet it is easy to become distracted and to loose focus on your studies. College procrastination can set in if you don’t establish a schedule and focus on achieving outcomes.  The following tips will help you get started right and to beat procrastination.

Tip #1:  Create a Schedule

To create a schedule you must start out by assessing your available time and prioritizing tasks. Anything that is due within a short time frame or needs immediate attention must take priority. Make sure you are realistic with your time estimates. Allow time for breaks or to attend to important events or matters outside of your study commitments such as family events and sports meets. Setup the schedule and work it. This is an action oriented approach to beat college procrastination.

Tip # 2:  Allow Enough Time To Transition Between Tasks

This can mean driving to a different location and dealing with traffic delays. For other tasks you may need to factor in research time. If you are writing a term paper or assembling research, visiting the library and getting your materials together takes time. Make sure you allow for this.

Tip #3:  Don’t Over Commit and Avoid Distractions

There is only so many hours in the day. You will inevitably encounter unexpected interruptions. Account for this and ensure that your environment is setup to minimize distractions. For college students, living in a communal environment can often present diversions. Create a sound study practice by selecting your study location wisely; away from students who are engaged in entertainment.

Tip #4:  Schedule Time off for Important Events and Commitments

It is important to schedule time for yourself. You need time to recharge and to attend to important college events and family gatherings. Know ahead of time when they are coming up so that you can work them into your schedule. This way you won’t get caught short for time around assignment due dates.

Tip #5:  Engage In Regular Exercise

Stay healthy by undertaking regular exercise. You will look better, feel better and sleep better. Exercise also helps to increase mental alertness. When you function better you are less likely to fall into college procrastination traps or become unproductive.

Tip #6:  Avoid The Email Trap

With the volume of emails that most people get it is easy to get caught up reading and replying to correspondence. Setup different folders on your email and make time for attending to them as part of your schedule. That way you won’t lose valuable time when you need to focus on accomplishing more important tasks.

Taking charge of your time management schedule is the first step to becoming more productive and avoiding student procrastination. As you learn to work your schedule you will become more effective. Get started today and beat college procrastination. You live a more productive college live, free from stress and with time left over to enjoy your life.