Find out what your time-wasters are!

Check out this equation:
168 hours in a week
-56 hours of sleep
-21 hours for meals
-20 hours of attending class & labs
71 hours/week (10 hours/day) for study, recreation, everything else.

How can you get it all done?
Make a schedule. Schedules work well to help cut down on stress, worry and daydreaming. Far from making a robot of you, a time schedule frees you from always operating in emergency mode thus allowing you to make the best use of your time.

Start by making a record of fixed activities. These include classes, meals, regular meetings, work, etc. Each week, add information relating to class assignments; note due dates and estimate study time required.

Plan ahead. Make a list of all major assignments due during the entire semester. Also include vacations or any other times that you will not be available to focus on schoolwork. Do not let anything sneak up on you at the last minute.

Remember these principles of time use:

• Many effective schedulers habitually plan their day at a regular time - 5 to 10 minutes in the morning or before going to bed.
• Allow larger blocks of time for learning new material, grasping concepts, drafting a theme, etc.
• When you are through learning a new concept or finishing a difficult task, reward yourself with a brief break to keep yourself alert for the next task.
• Use short periods of time (15-45 minutes) to review. It's a good idea to spend a few minutes reviewing immediately before a class involving discussion or recitation. Immediately after a lecture class spend a few minutes reviewing your notes.
• Schedule harder study tasks when you are most alert and can concentrate best.
• Do something daily - don't let it all pile up!
• Plan to really learn the first time; the rest of your study time should be spent reviewing through recitation, discussion, creating practice tests, etc.
• Don't try to allocate ALL your time; know what needs to be done and how long it will take you. It's HOW you use your time that counts.