One of the main problems students face is a lack of time. Students need to learn how to plan every day in order to keep up. The experts of law-essay-profy.com have collected some important time-management principles that will help improve school life.
The right distribution of energy is the key to successful studies
Professionals conduct regular surveys of students to find out what difficulties they face in their studies. The most common problems include:
- lack of time and work rhythm;
- depression;
- severe fears before exams;
- poor academic performance;
- ack of self-organization.
In many ways, these problems are related to the high workload students receive in higher education. Problems are often exacerbated if young people combine study with work, in which case there is virtually no time for proper rest. The results are disastrous: poor academic performance, and chronic fatigue.
Specialists recommend students follow the Pareto Law . The essence of this law is very simple – you need to distribute your energy correctly, and then with the expenditure of only 20% of your resources you will get the result of 80%. If you do the opposite and spread yourself thin, then the result will be the opposite.
Start simple – make a diary and plan each coming day. Mark the cases by importance, and learn how to properly determine the time frame for the tasks. For example, some things are considered in the short term, others in the long term, etc.
Setting priorities will help to save time
A common mistake of today’s students is to start a new workday with secondary tasks. Young people look through their profiles in social networks every morning, then get distracted by phone conversations, after that they spend too much time on a simple tasks, etc.
A to-do list can help you prioritize your tasks correctly; it will show you what needs to be done now, and what can be postponed. Time management works wonders:
- it reduces slowness and increases motivation to study;
- it boosts productivity;
- it frees up hours for rest and free activities.
Due to time constraints, students often find it difficult to write student papers, failing to meet the deadline. Preparing to write a test or thesis should begin as soon as you receive the topic from the teacher, not putting the matter off indefinitely.
If you still don’t have time, use the service that offers help with any student papers. You can get professional help from best essay writers in writing essays, tests, term papers, and dissertations. The service provides round-the-clock support and practices an individual approach to clients, selecting the best experts for work on a given topic.
Take a lecture
Notes from lectures really help you structure and retrieve material when studying on your own. It is also helpful to share notes with other students, so you don’t miss anything important. It is useful to reread the outline in the next 24 hours after the lecture, as well as before class. Once again, you give your brain a chance to update the information and send it to long-term memory.
Don’t try to write down everything after the lecturer word for word, it will only take up your time. It is better to record the main point the professor wants to make – this way you will understand the material more deeply and be able to formulate questions if something is not clear.
Understand, not just read
This is probably the main point. Reading and cramming the night before the exam will not have a profound effect, as a large amount of information that you will try to memorize in a short period of time will quickly evaporate from your short memory. In reading books and articles, comprehension is important. Take small notes on the text, make brief conclusions after individual sections, write down what you have understood or paraphrase what you have just read. Translate unfamiliar words in texts only if they are key to understanding.
Read critically, asking questions of the text if you disagree with or don’t understand something. Why did the author decide so, what arguments does he/she give, how satisfied are you with these arguments?
To reinforce the material, it is also helpful to participate in reading groups, which are groups of students who read one text and meet to discuss it. Usually, to prepare for these meetings, you will already need to sketch out some questions about the text.
If you are studying material with a lot of facts: dates, events, important names, formulas, concepts, and definitions, use flashcards – memory cards. On one side write the date, name, and formula, on the other side what happened on that date, what the person with that name is famous for, and what theory the formula describes. These cards can be done throughout the semester.
Say No to multitasking
You think you can do everything, but you can’t. Try to concentrate on one task for 20-30 minutes at a time, turning off your phone and all notifications, with short breaks for social media. There are a huge number of apps to help you block sites and social networks from yourself: OffTime, Space, Flipd – all of them will work for both iOS and Android. You can also use the built-in features to monitor your time spent in apps or simply turn off your wifi for a while.
Learn to delegate tasks. You might not be able to write essay today, but can you mobilize other people to help? Ask a friend or expert writers to proofread for you. Whatever it is that needs doing, try something new and step out of your comfort zone.
Learn at your own pace
In an effort to complete things in a limited amount of time, a person experiences serious emotional and physical stress. Nervous tension, constant lack of sleep, compulsive overeating – all this can have unpleasant consequences for the body, especially if we are talking about the younger generation.
Rest
Don’t forget to rest. The brain works in two phases – actively consuming information and then digesting it in the background. That’s why it’s important to take breaks and spend your weekends relaxing, not cramming. Walks in nature, sports, socializing with friends, a long nap and a good meal – all this will contribute to a deeper absorption of the material. But don’t forget to get back to work.
