The importance of planning your weekly schedule
Credit to Author: Geneviève Beaupré and Susan Qadeer| Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2023 19:53:33 +0000
Early September is an important time for students starting the 2023-2024 academic year. If you are new to college or university studies or if you have been having difficulty finding sufficient time for your studies, this is an excellent time to draw up a schedule of your weekly tasks. Even more so if you are an international student who is getting used to the new academic environment. Making and using a schedule ensures you don’t forget important matters and that you are allocating sufficient time to priorities.
Make the schedule
It is usually a good idea to draw up a weekly schedule that goes from Monday to Sunday and that includes one-hour blocks between the time you wake up to when you go to sleep. Start by putting in all your class hours and other required school obligations such as labs, tutorials etc. Then add in personal care, commuting time, meals, exercise and work (if you have a job). Add in any recurring activities, from watching favourite shows to family and friend commitments. On a weekly basis, allow yourself a block of time that you can use as needed. Even the best schedule needs to account for the unpredictable such as a cold, family emergencies or commuting issues.
Review your schedule. Are there enough blocks of time available for studying and assignments? And are they at times when you are most productive and focused? Ideally, your most alert time should be reserved for your most challenging subjects. Are there some adjustments you could make? For instance, if you are short on time, can your exercise and commuting be combined by walking or biking to school or work? Are there shows you like to watch that could be streamed when you know you won’t be able to study anyway? Similarly, if you have flexibility at work, can you schedule work hours during your less productive time?
Find additional blocks of time
Often overlooked is the time before and after class. Before class can be an ideal time to preview material that will be covered in the lesson. After-class time can be used to review notes and fill in any gaps in your note taking. Both can serve as part of frequent exposure to the material and an aid to memory.
Other blocks of time you may not think about could be while you are waiting for a bus or for dinner to cook. Make the best use of these times by having your notes or study aids in a form that is readily available, such as note cards or an audio file.
So, how is your schedule working for you?
Use the schedule for a few weeks and see if it works for you. After a while, you will know if your plan is realistic. If you have insufficient time, don’t be tempted to cut back on sleep. Being well rested will both help you be more attentive to your work and help you stay well. Getting sick when you are a student can wreck havoc with your studies and can feels awful. Similarly, exercise has the same two benefits, but find the amount that is useful without taking too much time.
Do you work? A job with some flexibility is ideal for students. When you need more time for studying, meeting with group members or other academic commitments, altering your work hours could be a good place to start. It also may be possible to drop a course to have more time, but this should only be done after exploring the implications for your program of study. But remember, there are usually cut off dates for doing this.
Hopefully your schedule will become part of your weekly routine. Once you know what you will be doing and when, you are less likely to waste time figuring that out. Let your schedule help you get and stay organized; just don’t let it limit you. Your journey can be full of surprises and opportunities; you want to have enough flexibility to take advantage of them.
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