Time management is the most important aspect of exam preparation. More often than not, many students look at time as their enemy because they start preparing a little too late in a haphazard manner, which causes too much confusion. Without proper time management tips, studying will not benefit you much because you won’t be able to organize your syllabus in sync with the amount of time you have.
Time Management Tips:
Now that you have decided to manage your time you should look at ways to do it effectively. Many students get over-enthusiastic when they make a timetable, which is why they end up setting huge goals for themselves. While you think you can do it theoretically, practically it may be difficult. Hence, you should know how to manage your time realistically. To help you out, we have come up with a few useful time management tips for you.
1. Organize
Organization helps clear things up. It removes stress and gives you the control over time. Start at least a couple of months before the exam date and organize your time for the day, for the weeks, and for the month. When you do this, you will have a clear realization of how much time you have and how much you can dedicate to various activities. Take control of time and do not let it control you!
2. Track
To begin with, assess your time for a few days. How much time do you spend studying? How much time do you spend sleeping? How much time do you dedicate to other activities? This exercise will remove the notion of I study all the time from your head because tracking will make things apparent. You may think you are doing the best you can but when you put it on paper you will realize that you are wasting more time than you should. This will bring another pang of realization and that will motivate you to shift gears.
3. Prioritize
Time management is all about being wise while using time. Incorporate all your daily activities in your schedule but know which one(s) to prioritize. This/these activity/ies should get the highest amount of time. In your case, of course, it is studying.
Now, in the time you allocate for studies, dig deeper into the subjects and analyze the time required for each chapter or topic or so on. For example, if a topic is complicated, dedicate more time to. Dedicate less time to topics that you are confident about. Do not skip any topic during preparation. Over confidence can get the better of you during the exam.
4. Schedule
Now is the time to prepare a detailed timetable based on your findings. You have tracked your activities, realized how much time you have, and you know your priorities. Based on these factors, create a neat timetable with all activities that you plan on doing during the day. Remember to include sleep time, break time, eating time, refreshing time, and so on. The clearer it is, the better it will be for you.
Do not get over ambitious. Always make time for socializing and entertainment because too much studying will make you less efficient. Regardless of how worried you are, take breaks so that your brain is refreshed. It is important to be very logical here.
5. Review
An excellent way to keep reviewing topics that you have learnt is to use review cards. These review cards will help you when you have to wait for something without an option (think along the lines of waiting in queue at the bank or waiting for your coffee at the cafeteria). You can also post a few in places that you frequently visit so that you keep your brain on its toes. These places include the refrigerator and the mirror.
6. Follow
The biggest time management mistake that students make is that they fail to follow it. All the time and effort you put into making the schedule will be a waste if you do not follow it. Of course, it needs dedication to go back to the timetable and to follow it to the dot but if you squander your time, you will pay for it during the examination. Be honest with yourself and be sincere. Otherwise, all those efforts will go to nothing.
Proper time management during exam preparation requires organization, logic, and dedication. You know yourself better than anyone else and you know your own speed. That is why you should schedule activities without thinking about what your friends are doing. Manage time accordingly and make sure you follow your schedule. When you master these time management tips, you will definitely be able to study without burnout.
