Okay, I need a break from studying, so here's my time-management strategy! I used to go crazy trying to remember things. Since I live with my boyfriend, and he's pretty ambivalent, I had to keep in my head not only my school stuff, but all our household stuff too. It was stressing me out beyond belief...
This semester I've been using the following:
I use a Palm Pilot, to organize the following: - classes, tests, work, volunteering, bills due, dinners, events, etc. (it's handy because you can colour-code things which makes it easy to glance at and see what you are up to) - to-do list (you can mark events by a priority of 1-5 and when you want to complete them. You can also set an alarm to remind you of important stuff!) - phone numbers and addresses (plus birthdays!) are really handy to have - quick to write notes or memos so you won't forget about things
I use the Z22 model because it was the cheapest and does everything I want. You can definitely get a really swanky one instead!
Also I use a program called Due Yesterday to organize my homework and grades. It calculates the grades for you as you go so you know where you stand (really handy when studying for exams!) Plus you can put prof info in there too so you know where their offices are or their phone numbers. There are lots of other homework tracking programs out there and most of them are free!
Probably the best suggestion I can make is to start on the first day of classes. As soon as you get those outlines, take them home and put all the information from them into your Palm or agenda. That way you know when projects are due, or if you have 2 big tests on the same day. It gives you a visual idea of when things are happening so you can plan ahead! And don't forget to add things like reading preparation (ie: Linguistics - Read chapter 2 for Wednesday). Plus we all have the most energy and are really keen at the start of the semester, so make use of that drive!
And you might want to check out the Learning Commons on campus. They have workshops that are very useful and have some great info. I'd suggest the "Creating an Effective Study Schedule" one on January 15th, but I'm sure they will all be great. They fill up fast so register early!
Comments
I had written up a stupidly long and helpful comment for you... but TalkSFU gagged and didn't post it. Crap...
I'll try again later when I get my motivation back! :wink:
This semester I've been using the following:
I use a Palm Pilot, to organize the following:
- classes, tests, work, volunteering, bills due, dinners, events, etc. (it's handy because you can colour-code things which makes it easy to glance at and see what you are up to)
- to-do list (you can mark events by a priority of 1-5 and when you want to complete them. You can also set an alarm to remind you of important stuff!)
- phone numbers and addresses (plus birthdays!) are really handy to have
- quick to write notes or memos so you won't forget about things
I use the Z22 model because it was the cheapest and does everything I want. You can definitely get a really swanky one instead!
Also I use a program called Due Yesterday to organize my homework and grades. It calculates the grades for you as you go so you know where you stand (really handy when studying for exams!) Plus you can put prof info in there too so you know where their offices are or their phone numbers. There are lots of other homework tracking programs out there and most of them are free!
Probably the best suggestion I can make is to start on the first day of classes. As soon as you get those outlines, take them home and put all the information from them into your Palm or agenda. That way you know when projects are due, or if you have 2 big tests on the same day. It gives you a visual idea of when things are happening so you can plan ahead! And don't forget to add things like reading preparation (ie: Linguistics - Read chapter 2 for Wednesday). Plus we all have the most energy and are really keen at the start of the semester, so make use of that drive!
And you might want to check out the Learning Commons on campus. They have workshops that are very useful and have some great info. I'd suggest the "Creating an Effective Study Schedule" one on January 15th, but I'm sure they will all be great. They fill up fast so register early!