time management

Developing time management skills is a journey
that may begin with this Guide, but needs practice and other guidance along the way.

One goal is to help yourself become aware of how you use your time
as one resource in organizing, prioritizing, and succeeding in your studies
in the context of competing activities of friends, work, family, etc.

First: try our exercise in time management

Strategies on using time:

• School term/semester overview: develop, or plan for, blocks of study time
  About 50 minutes? How long does it take for you to become restless?
  Some learners need more frequent breaks for a variety of reasons
  More difficult material may also require more frequent breaks
  Place blocks of time when you are most productive, as morning person or night owl!
• Schedule weekly reviews and updates
  Sunday night may be an excellent time to review your calendar
  Be mindful that as deadlines and exams approach, your weekly routine must adapt
• Prioritize assignments
  When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject or task
  For more difficult courses of study, try to be flexible in your approach to success
  Build in “reaction time” when you can get feedback on assignments before they are due.
• Achieve “stage one”—get something done
  Don’t work the details until your assignment concept is fully developed.
  “Perfection is the enemy of good”, especially in the course of beginning an assignment.
  Given that you build in review, roughly draft your idea and proceed from there
• Postpone tasks or routines that can be put off until school work is finished
  Eliminate, delegate or delay non-essential tasks as part of prioritizing.
  Review for a test may be more important than enjoying a sport.
  and playing the game later will be more enjoyable without the pressure of the test.
• Develop alternative study places
  free from distractions to maximize concentration
• Use your “free” time wisely
  Think of times when you can study "bits" as when walking, riding the bus, etc.
• Review notes and readings just before class
• Review lecture material immediately after class
  (Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review)

Try the University of Minnesota's Assignment Calculator

Develop criteria for adjusting your schedule
to meet both your academic and non-academic needs

Effective aids:

• Create a simple "To Do" list
  This simple program will help you identify a few items, the reason for doing them, a timeline for getting them done, and then printing this simple list and posting it for reminders.
• Daily/weekly planner
  Write down appointments, classes, and meetings on a chronological log book or chart.
  If you are more visual, sketch out your schedule
  First thing in the morning, check what's ahead for the day
  always go to sleep knowing you're prepared for tomorrow
• Long term planner
  Use a monthly chart so that you can plan ahead.
  Long term planners will also serve as a reminder to constructively plan time for yourself

Using a Student’s Strengths for Better Studying

Using a Student’s Strengths for Better Studying

At SuperCamp, the learning and life skills academic summer camp for kids 9-18, we focus on individual’s particular learning styles. Knowing one’s own learning style, or strengths, can help when it comes time to study for a test. At SuperCamp, we make this point by telling campers the story of Slim ‘n’ Bil.

Slim ‘n’ Bil are both very smart people – smart in very different ways. Slim ‘n’ Bil both have a wide range of skills. Whenever they meet, they like to show off their talents to each other, and practice their skills to build their intelligence in different areas. The question they ask each other isn’t ‘How smart are you?’ it’s ‘How are you smart?’

When Slim ‘n’ Bil first got together, they realized that their names together spell out each of the eight different ways that we’re all smart – and they created ways to practice and improve each area. Check this out:

S – Spatial-visual read maps, create 3D art, look at hidden-shape puzzles.
L – Linguistic write stories, give speeches, play Scrabble
I – Interpersonal take on projects in groups, get to know people
M – Musical practice beats, play an instrument

N – Naturalist look for patterns, do odd-one-out puzzles

B – Bodily-kinesthetic play with a hackey, act things out, dance
I – Intrapersonal keep a journal, create goals for yourself
L – Logical-mathematical do logic puzzles, play tic-tac-toe, look for reasons

Everyone is smart in all eight ways, and we may have particular strengths. When you study, use these strengths to study in a way that will be most effective for you. When you’re not studying, try out some of these practices to improve the areas you find challenging. No two people are the same, and we’re all smart. The question is, how are you smart?

Learn More at SuperCamp

At SuperCamp, our exceptional staff go in-depth with campers from age 9 to 18 on helping them identify their own learning style and how to go with their particular strengths. Our Youth Forum is seven days long and is for students going into grades 4-5 in the fall. Junior Forum and Senior Forum are 10 days long. Junior Forum is for incoming 6-8 graders and Senior Forum is for incoming 9-12 graders. We even have a college boot camp, Quantum U, an 8-day programs for incoming college freshmen.

SuperCamp is held at eight beautiful colleges across the U.S. throughout the summer. Quantum U takes place at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. More information on our programs is available at www.supercamp.com and www.quantum-u.com.

We also offer a unique 3-day Parent Weekend at which parents of kids in SuperCamp gain an insight into what their children are learning in their programs. In the process, parents tell us they learn a lot about themselves, as well. You can view a Parent Weekend video at http://www.SuperCamp.com.

About The Author

Jim Hartley works for Quantum Learning Network, a company that focuses on children and teen education and life skills.

http://www.qln.com