The Art of
Time Management 		Learning Center at Capital

Scheduling Time for Study

Managing time wisely is a crucial step in developing the personal study habits that can make you a successful student. You are always busier than you thought you would be, and this is particularly true of community college students who often find themselves precariously balancing their studies on one hand and job, family, and community commitments on the other.

Determine your available study time by completing a planning schedule. Click HERE for a one-page Planning Schedule which you can then print out and fill in. You might want to shade in portions of the schedule with colored highlighters according to categories.

  1. Indicate those time slots firmly committed to non-study activities, those things you have to attend to or your life will simply fall apart.
  2. Indicate those time slots you will devote to your studies.
  3. Indicate those time slots occupied by non-study habits but which can be changed to provide greater study time.
Make certain that you have established a realistic planning schedule.
  1. Is this schedule one you can live with comfortably throughout the semester?
  2. Are your study periods of adequate but limited duration (i.e., 45 minutes to three hours)?
  3. Does your planning schedule have an ample number of blank spaces (i.e., unallocated time) reserved for unexpected obligations?
  4. Are you willing to modify this planning guide without totally giving up your study schedule (i.e., to accommodate changing demands on your time)?

Carefully organizing your study time is another crucial skill to learn.
  1. Mentally review all upcoming assignments each day.
  2. Prioritize them according to their relative important and due date.
  3. Start at the top of your list and complete each assignment one deadline at a time. Don't let the length of the list scare you or paralyze you into doing nothing.
  4. Don't postpone disliked activities or assignments for last, when your interest and energy will be at a minimum.

Your Weekly Schedule

  1. Plan, at first, at least one hour of study time for each hour of class. Remember that learning is what counts, not the time it takes you to learn. Be prepared to schedule as much time as you need to gain control of a course.
  2. Schedule regular study time. To succeed in college work, you need to establish definite study hours. If you do not set aside and stick to such hours on a daily basis, you are probably going to fail at time management.
  3. Plan at least one-hour blocks of study time. If you schedule less than one hour, your study period may be over just when you are fully warmed up and working hard.
  4. Reward yourself for using study time effectively. After you've worked for one hour, get up, call a friend, have something to eat, go for a brisk walk.
  5. Try to schedule periods of study time before and after classes. You should read a textbook chapter before a teacher covers it. You should also look over your notes from the preceding class in case the teacher discusses the material further. If you take a few minutes to review your notes as soon after class as possible, you will be able to organize and clarify the material while it is still fresh in your mind. Click HERE for hints on note-taking.
  6. Work on your most difficult subjects when you are most alert. Save routine work for times when you are most likely to be tired.
  7. Balance your activities. Allow free time for family, friends, sports, television, getting out, etc.
  8. Keep your schedule flexible, but keep your schedule.
Daily Planner and Weekly To-Do List

Click HERE for A Daily Planner, which you can print out and use as a sample for your own personal planner. There is also a Weekly To-Do List, which you can print out to help plan your whole week -- in advance and as you go along.

  1. Include everything on the list that you have to (and want to) accomplish during the day. Prepare it well in advance, perhaps the night before.
  2. Carry the list with you, in a handy place, throughout the day. Cross out items as you finish them. You might get in the habit of carrying the next day's list with you also, so you can fill it in as you think of things you have to do the next day.
  3. Decide priorities. Making the best of your time means focusing on top-priority items rather than spending hours on low-priority activities.

Based on material in Doing Well in College. John Langan and Judith Nadell. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980).


Learning Center

Capital Community College