Counselling Service

Study Timetables

One of the most common tools students use to organise their time is the timetable. Yet people regularly report that they don't work very well. Sometimes it seems that you just cannot fit a life into something as neatly defined as a seven day schedule. Other times the timetable seems to be ruling your life. We are going to look at two approaches to study timetables. Try one, try both, or adapt these ideas to suit your circumstances.

Time

One often sees workshops on "Time management" yet the fact is that you cannot manage time. It begins when you are born, runs in only one direction, and cannot be influenced by anyone. It may be difficult negotiating an extension of time for an assignment with a busy lecturer, but that is nothing compared with trying to get an extra day inserted between Sunday and Monday.

What we can do is make choices about how we use the time we have available. And how much is available? Well, 7x24 hours is the formula. Subtracting an average amount of sleep leaves approximately 115 hours for everything you need to do in a week. And that means EVERYTHING.

Eating, washing, cleaning, shopping, playing, relaxing, socialising, listening, reading, walking, driving, arguing, hugging, sitting, waiting, watching, working, drinking… and of course, studying.

The Classic Timetable

What does your list of weekly activities look like? Try making a list under the following headings:

• Regular commitments (classes, sport, Sunday lunch with parents)

• Occasional commitments (visiting friends, going to the movies)

Which are fixed and which optional?

Either draw up, pick up from the Counselling Service, or print down from the selected formats provided at the bottom of this page, a blank timetable with the days and "waking hours" written in.

Mark in the fixed, regular commitments you have identified. This forms the skeleton of your week, and it is around this that other activities must fit. Mark in times for work, meals, and so on.

When writing in study times, it is important to identify different types of study tasks, eg: reading, report writing, revision. It is also helpful if the timetable reflects reality. If, for example, you always watch a particular television program (even when there are other pressing tasks!), then there is little point in scheduling a major study block at this time.

The Activity Log

This is a different approach to creating a timetable, which begins with collecting data. Either draw up, pick up from the Counselling Service, or print down from the selected formats provided at the bottom of this page, a grid with four vertical columns, as follows:

This is the log you fill in with what you actually do. The first three columns are pretty self-explanatory: when and what you are doing. But include everything! As one "Time and organisation" workshop participant said, "I knew I made phone calls, but had no idea that I spent THAT long on the phone".

The final column relates to the fact that we are people, not machines. Our energy levels vary during the day, as do our moods. Write in this column a word or phrase that describes how you are feeling at that time.

At the end of a week or so, as well as a log of activities that reflects what you have really spent time on, you will also be able to identify periods of high concentration and high energy as well as times of lower energy when you do not feel as mentally sharp.

Here then, is a question. Which times would you use to do new or complex tasks? And which for routine or mundane tasks?

The Activity Log is a way of formulating a timetable that is based around you and your patterns.

Some Further Tips

• Even if you have allocated a two hour block to a subject or study task, do not try to study continuously for that length of time. Take small breaks (avoiding distractions!) regularly. Even stretching and easing tight shoulders while sitting at your desk can make a difference to concentration.

• Leave some study time each week which is not assigned to a particular study goal. This aids flexibility and allows for unexpected tasks.

• A regular time for organising your study and setting short-term goals can be helpful. But do not over organise! Over-commitment can lead to frustration.

• Think about your study tasks in advance. Estimate the time needed for tasks and stick to your decision.

• Working on a subject immediately before or after the relevant lecture can be advantageous, as you are "tuned in" to that area.

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