4. Monitor your use of time

Monitor your use of time


Tips for the future: 

  • For a few weeks write down what you actually did during that time and how much of it was used for studying. You might find out that you did not, in fact, put so much time into studying as you thought.
  • Evaluate your success: how well did you actually keep to your plans? Where were you successful? Where did you waste time? Are there ‘time bandits’ – things that take up considerably more time than you realised? What was challenging? Was your plan realistic and doable? If you deviated from your goals, did you do it consciously or inadvertently? What should be changed? What things took place differently than you expected? Was your plan too detailed? Did you pack too much into it?
  • Students who monitor their use of time for four weeks during their first year of studies tend to get through their studies at a faster-than-average rate. 

You can now get started with the actual scheduling (go back to section 2 to see the exercise).