Royal College of Healthcare • Aged care and disability courses in Queensland • Time Management Essentials When Studying

Time Management Essentials When Studying

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Whether you’re studying now or plan to in the future, nailing your time management while studying can make all the difference to your success (and stress levels!)

Before we impart some advice, let’s get a quick definition on time management. According to Google, it’s defined as: The ability to use one’s time effectively or productively, especially at work. We couldn’t agree more!

So, how do you ‘effectively and productively’ approach time management while studying – especially when it comes to fitting everything in?

Create a daily plan

Every morning (or the night before), make a plan for what you need to achieve during the day. There are plenty of helpful websites and apps that can help you keep on track like Wunderlist and todolist – or you can stick to ol’ fashioned pen and paper.
Then, your job is to do your best to cross every item off your list. To help you do this make sure you set realistic and relevant goals – more on this next.

Figure out what you have to do

One of the easiest and most handy skills to master is prioritising what you have to do first. This sounds obvious, but so often we leave important tasks until the last minute, whilst completing less urgent items first.

Other times we prioritise our easiest tasks ahead of more challenging or unmotivating ones – which pushes them further down our list.

When it comes to study, it pays to think about what needs to be done – and putting the most pressing items at the top of your action-list, no matter how unappealing they seem. And just think, if you get the hardest stuff out of the way first, you’ll be rewarded with the things you’re looking forward to later on.

Avoid procrastination and distraction

What distracts you? The answer to this question is different for each person. For example, some people can study listening to music, whilst others end up singing along to their favourite songs. Figure out your ideal study conditions – morning vs night, home vs library, solo vs group and study in the conditions which suit you best.

Break big content down

Break your study notes into bite-size chunks that you can revisit easily. Try flash cards and use plenty of colour to help you retain information. It’s a lot more time efficient to refer back to important study notes when they’re organised like this, as opposed to flicking through endless notes or text book pages.

Take time out

Nothing stunts productivity like fatigue – so make sure you take short breaks between study blocks to clear your mind and move your body. These small rests will ensure you make the most of your study time – fresh and fighting fit!

Ready to start a course and chase down your dream career? Check out the range of Royal College of Healthcare courses in aged care and disability here.