LPN to RN

Good Study Habits for Students - Managing Your Time

If you are a student or are planning on enrolling in college courses in the near future, one of the most important study habits is learning how to manage your time. Effective time management can be the difference between passing a course and failing miserably.

Time Management may seem difficult for some people but once you determine how to effectively organize your daily routine you will find it is essential to your success. It takes lots of self discipline, organization and planning to make your time work for you effectively, however; with little effort you can find the time to make sure you complete tasks that are extremely important. One of the first things you should do is organize your priorities. Make a list of the duties and activities that you do on a daily basis. Then organize those priorities in order of importance, whether it is school, work or family obligations. Make sure you budget time for these areas of your life first, and then set aside time for entertainment and leisure activities.

A valuable asset to effective time management is to keep a calendar or daily planner. Being in touch with your priorities and schedule is a great way to organize your time and priorities. Many people use a day planner not only for the time they spend on work, but their personal life as well. If you are working on projects that can take more than days or weeks to complete, look into using a long term planner. Long term planners are great for setting project milestones in which certain work on a project should be completed. At the beginning of each course, go through your syllabus and place your assignments in your planner. Make sure to note the date you should begin the assignment in order to complete it on time, as well as noting the due date in your calendar.

Another tip is to create a “To Do List”. To do lists are a great way to organize and prioritize tasks that need to get done either for the day, week or month. Either the night before or first thing in the morning, create a list of tasks that are the most important. This will provide a written reminder of the things you need to complete each day. Sometimes issues come up that need your full attention immediately, try to be flexible with your to do list by not loading it up. Remember your to-do list can always be adjusted as items arise that require immediate attention.

You should also keep a journal of how you currently use your time. With a journal, you can see how you spend your time during the day, evening and weekend. Reviewing your journal can help you find trends on how you use your time and allow you to make changes. With this knowledge you can help reshape your schedule to maximize your time and performance.

Remember, effective time management is the key to success for the both the college student and the working person. With proper time management you will have more time to do the things are enjoyable!