Time Management

• How do I study most effectively?
• How do I organise my study and reading time?
• When do I begin work on assignments?

How do I study most effectively?

Having set times for study (a study routine) will allow you to balance study, work and time for family and friends.

Study Routine

Plan at the end of the first week when your class times are in place.

• Use Unit Outlines, a Semester Planner and diary to record due dates for assessment tasks.
• Use a Weekly Planner to mark in classes and study times.  

In class and out of class study takes 35-40 hours a week for full time students.

Study and Work

Working 15 hours a week and studying full time means a working week in excess of 50 hours. For quality of life, this is a heavy workload over the semester. 

How do I organise my study and reading time?

Full time study is 35-40 hours a week. Plan blocks of study time around your class schedule. 

Planning

In week 2, organise a weekly study routine.  

• At the start, more time is needed for background reading.
  Ask yourself: "What is this subject about?"
• During semester, the priority is to complete assessment tasks.
  Ask yourself: "What do I need to read for this assessment task?"
• Towards the end, add sessions on revising for exams.
  Ask yourself: "What topics do I need to focus on for the exam?"

Study Strategies

Out of class study each week includes:

• Pre-reading (skimming and scanning) before lectures. This could be done in the hour before class.
• More intensive study to complete the set readings and prepare for tutorials, using the lecture notes as a guide (2 to 3 hours).
• Reviewing at the end of the week to organise notes for exam study later in semester. In this session also plan for the coming week.

Most of the weekly study time (about 14 hours) is used for working on assessment tasks: researching, reading, making notes and writing.

Divide this time into 2 or 3 hour blocks on your planner.

When do I begin work on assignments?

Set starting dates to have time for researching, reading, making notes and writing. Allow more time for tasks that are new to you or have a higher percentage of marks.

Planning

The first step is to make sense of the task by reading over the question, instructions and marking criteria a number of times. Do some initial reading and ask the lecturer about the task to gain a clear picture of what is expected. 

Allow at least 3 weeks for an assignment worth 25% of the marks and a week to complete an assignment worth 10%. 

• On a Semester Planner mark in starting dates for assignments due in the next 4 weeks.
• On a Weekly Planner organise study times for the steps of researching, reading and making notes; structuring; writing and editing.

Review your Semester Planner each week to check progress.  

Strategies

Some students study in the morning, others late at night. Some students find it easier to concentrate in the library; others find it easier to study at home. Knowing yourself as a learner helps with study. 

For study sessions:

• Plan specific tasks and times: eg. Mon 9-11am: 2 articles, essay notes.
• Tick off completed tasks as a record of your progress and use of time. 

It is a good idea to put this planning in place early in the semester.