Time & Self-Management for Academic Success

Why is that job important? If you have been putting off something, take a minute to list all the benefits of completing the task. Look at the job in the perspective of your goals. Write down the task you have been avoiding, then, below it, write your reason for doing it. Relate the task to your goals, and be specific about the payoffs and rewards.

Break big jobs into small, manageable parts. Then be determined to complete one of those tasks. Make each task something you can accomplish in 15 minutes or less. Make the results measurable so you can see your progress. If a long reading assignment intimidates you, break it into two- or three-page sections, list the sections, then cross off each section as you complete it. Give yourself a visual experience of getting something done.

Use an intention statement in conjunction with a small task you have created. Write your statement on 3X5 card, and carry it with you or post it in your study area where you can see it often.

For example, if you have a term paper to write and can't seem to get started, write yourself an intention statement that says, "I intend to write a list of at least ten possible topics for my term paper by 9 pm. I will reward myself with an hour of guilt- free recreational reading."

Announce your intention publicly. Tell a friend. Tell your spouse, roommate, parents, or children. Telling the world of your intention is an excellent technique to ensure its completion. Make the world your support group.

Rewards can be difficult to construct. A reward must be something that you would genuinely withhold from yourself if you did not earn it. Don't pick a movie as a reward if you plan to go to anyway. If you don't complete what you set out to do, and go to the movie anyway, the movie would be an ineffective reward. When you legitimately reap your reward, notice how it feels. You may find that movies, clothes, or an extra hour studying one of your favorite subjects are more enjoyable when you feel like you've earned it.

Do it now. The minute you notice yourself procrastinating, plunge into the task. Imagine yourself at a mountain lake, poised to dive. Gradual immersion would be slow torture. It's often less painful to leap.
Then be sure to savor the feeling of having the task behind you.

When you notice yourself continually pushing a task into the low-priority category, re-examine the purpose for doing it at all. If you realize that you really don't intend to do something, quit telling yourself that you will. That's procrastinating. Tell the truth and drop it. Then you're not procrastinating, and you don't have to carry around the baggage of an undone task.

Not: I don't know where to begin, so I can't begin at all.
Not: I have to do EVERYTHING! Nothing less will do.
Instead: The most important step is to pick one project to focus on.

Not: There's so much to do, and it's so complicated. I'm overwhelmed by my English term paper.
Instead: I don't have to do the whole project at once. There are separate small steps I can take one at a time to begin researching and drafting my paper.

Not: I have to write my thesis within two months.
Instead: If I write 2 pages per day, Monday-Friday, I can finish a 1st draft in 1 month. I'll have a revised final draft in 2 months.

Not: It's too much. I'll never get it all done
Instead: What is the one next step on my list? I'll concentrate on that step for right now

Not: I can't take any time out until I'm completely finished.
Instead: I spent an hour working. Now I'll call a friend.

Not: I must devote the whole week to this project
Instead: I can use these times this week to work on my project:
Monday 7-8; Tuesday 7-9; Saturday 10-12.

Not: Sorting through these papers and reorganizing my file cabinet will be a snap. It won't take me more than an hour, so I can do it any time.
Instead: Sorting papers always takes longer than I expect, so I'll start tonight. I'll spend 1 hour filing 1 stack of papers.

Not: I'll do my writing this weekend at home.
Instead: I'll write during the week in a library. (Choose whatever conditions are optimal for you to get work done.)

Not: I am the only person in the world who can do this.
Instead: I don't have to do this all by myself. I can ask someone else to do part of the job and still feel a sense of accomplishment.

Not: I can't write this speech until inspiration hits.
Instead: I'll write what first comes to mind, then improve it later.

Not: I have hardly made a dent in all there is to do.
Instead: I have reviewed my lecture notes and read 3 chapters. That won't guarentee me an "A", but it's more than I did yesterday.

Not: I should be able to work full-time, take 4 classes, be president of the Esperanto Club, spend more time with friends, and play tennis 2 hours a day with no trouble at all.
Instead: I have limits. I can take on fewer responsibilities and still like myself.

Not everything is equally important in lecture. Hold yourself accountable for being selective and differentiating between levels of importance. Organize your notetaking as a way to review, test your understanding of ideas, and prepare for exams.

You can learn a lot through listening. In college, it will be a prime source of information. Listening is a skill which must be developed. If you apply the following suggestions, you will find yourself listening more effectively.

The responsibility for developing interest and understanding is yours. Be an active listener and get the most out of attending lecture. Concentrate on what the speaker is saying. Sit where you can see and hear the speaker easily and where other distractions are at a minimum.

Determine why what the speaker is saying is important to you. If you don't have an immediate, vivid reason for listening to a speaker, you are an unmotivated listener. Practice the habit of paying attention.

Prepare to get the most out of lecture by reviewing the important points from the previous lecture. Preview the assigned readings to establish some background knowledge. Determine what you know and do not know about the material in order to focus your listening as an opportunity for learning.

Listen for the pattern of organization in lecture. Does it begin or end with a brief summary of the main concepts, themes, or ideas? How are details or examples used to develop specific points? What is the relationship between the points presented?

What is the structural format? Outline? Comparative analysis? Main idea, background information, supporting points? Inductive or deductive reasoning?

Ask yourself: What questions does this lecture answer? What are possible midterm questions that information from lectures could be used to answer? What is the relationship between the lectures and the readings?