Saving time
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'Procrastination is the thief of time.' [Edward Young]
The statement above was made over 250 years ago and, in the rapidly changing world of today, pressures on our time are even greater.
Time is lost when we procrastinate, put off doing something until another time. Yet we all know the value of starting something sooner rather than later.
Effective study is about pacing yourself so that tasks are tackled bit by bit and finished on time. Running out of time is one of the greatest barriers to effective study experienced by students.
If you are not sure where your time goes, then write out a list of how you spend each hour of one day.
Complete the Time circle and see if you are spending too much time on unneccessary tasks.
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Life is a series of interruptions.' [Henry Ford]
Being efficient saves time.
During the day, everyone's performance fluctuates. This natural biorhythm varies from person to person but can be described as our personal 'internal clock'.
It makes sense to work out our own internal clock so that we can tackle tasks when our personal performance is at its best.
Complete the graph Know yourself and see your how your personal performance varies throughout the day and how compensate for this.
Saving time is also helped by good:
• planning
• prioritising
• anticipation of problems
All too often we avoid spending that bit of extra time - sitting down to plan and prioritise. Even if we do, we may not allow enough time for unforeseen circumstances.
At the beginning of every day, find time to sit down and divide your tasks for the day into two lists;
ESSENTIAL= [A] | [B] =BONUS
In this one exercise, you are both planning and prioritising. You may even want to prioritise the A List further by numbering it. All of the tasks for the A List must be completed during the day so do not put anything in that is nonessential.
If you can carry out any of the B List tasks, this is a bonus. However, if you run out of time then the remaining B List items if they are urgent, can go on to the following day's A List - a good use of procrastination.
In both lists, you must be aware of what may go wrong and 'steal' your time such as bad weather, traffic jams, cancelled trains or tubes, family difficulties or your own ill-health.
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Task |
At the time |
Later |
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Starting an assignment |
As soon as you get your assignment, start planning, mindmapping and prioritising it. Look at feedback from previous assignments and make a mental note to avoid any regular mistakes. |
Prepare by collecting the materials, information and contacts you will need to complete the assignment. Find a study partner to bounce ideas off and share research tasks with but make sure that your work is individually crafted. |
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Researching an assignment |
Make a search on the Internet and Library using several search engines. Print out from the Internet and CD ROM journal indexes or photocopy journals. Always ask for help. Skim through the index, table of contents and chapter headings. Scan the first paragraph of any section for the gist. |
Highlight and number relevant sections on your Internet printouts or journal photocopies rather than write these out again. Make notes from textbooks using your own words where possible. Discuss with a study partner. Limit the number of quotes you use - make sure they are relevant and not too long. Make sure you have the references you need, check for any missing ones. |
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Making notes |
Develop your own form of shorthand - avoid writing lecture or research notes in full sentences. Use mind maps when possible. Writing your lecture notes on punched paper makes them easier to file. |
Sort out your lecture notes when you return home, date and file them. If you cannot read your notes, rewrite them. Mind map the structure of your assignment using your notes - this can be used as a rough plan. |
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Organising notes |
Always make a reference on your notes as to where the information came from [author, date, title, publisher]. Don't forget the page number of the textbook so you can find it again if needed! |
Keep your notes in one place but divide up into relevant sections with dividers. Number, label and colour-code your notes for easy identification. |
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Writing an assignment |
Word-process the first draft directly from your handwritten notes - no need to hand-write a first draft. Always make a back-up disk. Word-process your bibliography and check the word count. |
Proof read your first draft after 24 hours or more - trying to proof read a first draft too soon may result in you overlooking your mistakes. Proof read the bibliography. Rewrite, proofread again and check the word count again. |
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Submitting an assignment |
Make sure that you are able to hand in your assignment with plenty of time to spare - allow for unforeseen circumstances
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There is no later, only too late! |
Written by Kate Brooks © 2001