Surviving your January workload
Published on 28 June 13
It's never too late to start planning your exam and assignment strategies. Use these pointers to avoid putting off your work any longer, and make these exams your best yet.
Effective Time Management and avoiding Procrastination
Managing your time effectively can help you to feel in control of your workload, increase your productivity and improve your confidence. As a result, you’ll feel less inclined to procrastinate and able to enjoy a healthy balance between studying and other activities.
Creating a schedule
At the start of each week consider your academic and non-academic commitments and decide when you will devote time to studying.
Think about what you need to get done, and how you will fit tasks into your study periods. For example, if you have a spare hour, perhaps during your commute, you might not get very far on a substantial assignment, but you can do some concise reading for your next revision session.
One of the advantages of being a student is that you can be flexible. For example, would you prefer to condense your working week into three or four intense days, or spread your work out over the week?
Set Realistic Goals
When planning how to utilise your time it’s important to identify:
Short term goals: what do you need to get done today?
Medium term goals: when are your exams, and how does this affect your work plan?
Long term goals: what else do you have on the horizon - dissertation proposal, other assignments?
What do I need to do?
Effective time management isn’t only about the number of hours you study; it’s also about prioritising your workload. Leaving that daunting task to the last minute will in no doubt cause undue stress.
Where should I study?
Take a look at our which study space suits your style article to find out what study spaces the campus has to offer.
Still having problems with Procrastination?Inevitably, on some occasions your concentration may start to wander regardless of how well you’ve planned your time. If you find your concentration starting to wander: Take a break. Don’t confuse this with procrastination: a short break that enables you to return to your work refreshed is far more useful than persevering unproductively. Alternatively, try switching to another task or activity rather than taking a break altogether: for example, if you have become distracted from reading try doing something different, like planning an assignment. Break your time down into manageable chunks: not many people can work continuously for hours at a time, so don’t set yourself up to fail. |
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Where can I get more help?
Trying to approach your studies in different ways may help you stay on target. Get together with a group of coursemates for a regular session where you can quiz each other on the topics you've covered, and share study resources.
Most courses have a discussions page on Blackboard, which is a great place to ask questions and you can get help from lecturers and other students on the course. The Humanities and Engineering and Physical Sciences pages have some really useful advice and guidance, regardless of what degree you’re taking.
If you feel you need help for dealing with procrastination, the counselling service run workshops to help you manage procrastination. You can find out more about them here.