Saying “I´ll do it after Christmas” can ruin your grades… and your Christmas
I´m sure you know that time management is key regarding not only your studies, but your work or even your life. However, it is difficult to understand how to manage time, since very little people teach (or in fact, do know) how to efficiently manage time.
It is usual to think something like “the course starts around September, but it´s really after Christmas that things really get going”. This mentality can do a lot of harm to your grades, your mindset and self-esteem. So here are 3 tips on how to manage workload better.
1. If you can´t study, don´t study!
First, it is a common situation to find yourself too distracted when studying. Only when the exam-proximity effect kicks in, our minds are really focused… and nervous! For this situation, the first tip is: if you can´t study before Christmas… don’t! But do other tasks instead!
Read a couple of books related to the topic, write your own essays, watch subject-analogous videos, or see if there is homework that you can finish beforehand.
One technique that really works is finding how the topics you like relate to the ones you have to study: If you are a sports guy and have to study physics, read about the physics and mechanics of kicking a ball. If you like playing music but have to study economy, read about how the musical market works currently.
2. Small goals first
The second reason why we cannot get our heads around the problem is the large amount of information and time available. Teachers tend to schedule some assignments for fall but it is, in fact, true, that most of the workload will be scheduled for January and February. It is therefore important that you have your own system of dividing the work between months, and therefore weeks.
Having shorter goals will indubitably help you plan and, even if you miss some, you will cover more information, and have more under control after Christmas.
3. Put it in common
Communicate! Chat with your teachers, chat with your classmates, and if you are lucky, you should also contact former students! They went through the same problems and can tell you what to expect.
We hope these tips were useful for you and off course make sure to enjoy Christmas! 🙂
