Plan with a Daily Planner

Another way you can manage your time is with a daily planner.  Here are some ways to use one: 

• Record your daily assignments, meeting, appointments, etc.  
• When you have a deadline, write a reminder a week and/or month ahead so you start in plenty of time
• Write in important birthdays
• Write down anything that you need to remember to do on or by a specific date

 Of course the next important step is to remember to LOOK at the planner.  Many students put them on their desk while studying and have it with them in class to record any new assignments.

Planners also help with motivation - the same as with to-do lists, checking things off when they are completed is a great motivator!

If time seems to get away from you and you are having trouble getting things done, try a planner to help you keep on top of things.

"To-do List" = Done

As a college student you have a lot of things to do for many different classes.  This can be overwhelming!  One way to stay on top of things is to make a "to-do list" each morning for that day.  (Some people find it helpful to write it at night before they go to bed.)   This strategy will help you organize your day and make sure that you complete what needs to be done.  If it a great motivator to cross things off as they are completed and then crumple the list and throw it away at the end of the day!

If you feel you do not make the best use of your time, you can also prioritize your list so that you do the most important things first. 

If it is a very busy time and you are feeling overwhelmed, a weekly "to-do list" is very helpful.  Take a sheet of paper and make columns - one for each day of the week.  Then think about what you have scheduled (classes, practices, etc.) and decide what is the best day and time to complete each task.  Write each task under the day you plan to do it.  Now you can quit worrying about getting things done because you know exactly when you will do them.

There is always more things to do than there is time, so "to-do lists" will help you use your time well, help you not to forget something, and eliminate some of the stress of getting it all done!

Q & A as a Reading Strategy

 Forming questions and then reading to find the answer is a very effective reading strategy.  Many Psychology textbooks have started to include questions at the beginning of each section to guide your reading.  Learning objectives in the form of questions at the beginning of chapters do the same thing.

You can do this on your own.  It is especially effective in textbooks that do not have a lot of guidance for the reader.  Here is what to do:

1. Take the bold print heading and turn it into a question.  You can do so by following the news reporters guide - add "Who, What, Why, When or Where"  to the heading.
2. Read to find the answer
3. To expand on this, you can write the question and then write your answer.

 The interesting thing is that even if the section does not answer your question, your reading focus and comprehension is still improved because you were looking for the answer.  If this happens, go back and rephrase your question after reading and then answer it.

Here are some examples from a History chapter about the Enlightenment:

Heading: The Popularization of Science

Question: How did Science become popular?  What happened?

Heading: The Legacy of Locke and Newton

Question:  Who were Locke and Newton?  What did they do?  Why were they famous?

Heading:  The Impact of Travel Literature

Question:  What is Travel Literature?  What was its impact?

Happy reading and learning!

Review Notes After Class

What is one quick and easy thing you can do to improve your learning?

 

Review your lecture notes as soon as possible after each class.

By reading over what you wrote, you are starting the learning process.  The longer you wait, the more you will forget.  Of course, there are many more things you can do with the notes to learn them completely, but this one step is a quick and easy start. 

What else can you do?

• Use recitation (restate in your own words from memory)
• Make a study guide
• Rewrite the notes if they are unorganized or hard to understand

How soon you are able to review your notes along with the frequency and number of strategies you use when studying your notes will determine how well you learn them!