Scheduling

The following is a set of effective strategies for scheduling, based on the principles of efficient time management, which you could consider when completing your personal planner(s).

A. Start with fixed blocks of time and daily living activities

1. Record fixed time commitments first. Write in all your regularly scheduled activities such as lectures, tutorials, labs, etc.
2. Schedule activities associated with day-to-day living e.g. eating, sleeping, household activities, church, etc.
3. If you work part-time block off that time too.
4. Block off recreation time. Set aside regular time for such recreational activities as sports, clubs, TV, socialising, reading, personal commitments, etc.

B. Schedule study time wisely

5. Plan enough time for study for all your subjects. To begin with you should plan about two hours of study for each hour spent in the classroom. This is an average and realistic guideline and in time you will be able to evaluate whether or not it meets your study needs.
6. Study at the same time every day. In so far as possible, you should schedule certain hours which are used for studying almost every day in a habitual, systematic way. Having regular hours at least five days a week will make it easier to habitually follow the schedule and to maintain an active approach to study.
a. Study at a time of day that works best for you. Do you work best late at night or early in the morning? Try to take your preferences into account when you are scheduling. When you are feeling tired it might be a good time to do some ‘tidying’ of your work or sorting out your notes, rather than embarking on something new.
7. Make use of the free hours between lectures during the day. The hours between lectures are perhaps your most valuable study time, yet, ironically, the most frequently misused. You may effectively utilise these hours reviewing the material, editing and expanding the notes of the preceding class and/or studying the material to be discussed or worked on in the following class.
8. Space study periods. For each hour block of study time, study for 50 minutes and take a break for 10 minutes. This short relaxation period permits you to recover your ability to concentrate.
9. Plan for weekly reviews. At least one hour each week for each class (distinct from study time) should be scheduled for review. The weekend is a good time for reviewing and updating.
10. Schedule extra time for critical course events. Plan for extra time when assignments, presentations, tests, special projects or other important course events come up. This will ensure that you are able to give these your best shot to maximise your potential. [See also the unit, ‘Making the Grade: Assessments, Assignments and Examinations’, in which there is a link to the University of Minnesota’s Assignment Calculator. This guides you through a planning strategy for your assignment/assessment based on your discipline http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/.
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C. Remember your goals and yourself

11.Back up to a bigger picture. If you have created a Gantt chart (as discussed earlier) for your longer-term goals you could check against this from time to time to make sure that you are not losing sight of the bigger picture.
12. Prioritise. Use your filtered list to ensurethat you are completing more important and urgent tasks first.
13. Leave some unscheduled time for flexibility. Finally, you need to include some leeway for unexpected events that might disrupt your schedule. Lack of flexibility is the main reason why schedules fail. Most people tend to over-schedule themselves.