This article will talk about how you can apply time management to writing exams. Time is a valuable asset we have limited amounts of, so it is important to use it wisely.
Time in education should be used to improve your learning and preparation for classes, courses and tests. It can also be spent studying outside of school hours or even during breaks if necessary.
Time management helps us conserve our resources (time) by using them effectively. In college, time is expensive!
There are many ways to organize and manage your time efficiently, depending on what tasks require your time at that moment. Some people may find organizing their time difficult at first due to different commitments they have. That’s totally normal!
At the beginning, try mixing and matching to see which strategies work best for you. As you get more organized with time, you can add into your repertoire of time management skills lessening the stress of being too busy and lacking control over your schedule.
This article will go through some simple tips to help you become more efficient with time while preparing for an exam.
Develop a writing schedule
A good way to manage your time while studying is by establishing a routine for writing. This can be done in several ways, such as starting early in the morning or late at night, every day, or once per week.
Whatever method you choose, make sure it’s one that you will actually follow!
If possible, try to write for a set amount of time each day, say two hours. If you find yourself distracted during this period, don’t force yourself to focus until the next few days.
Instead, allocate a block of time outside of the initial setting appointment. For example, if you wake up at 6 AM, then have a pre-dawn workout, you can spend an hour before work doing other things like showering, making breakfast, etc. Then from around 8–8:30 AM you can start your daily writing session.
Try writing in the morning
Even if you don’t do it every day, trying to write for an hour before school starts is a great way to get into rhythm and maintain that rhythm.
Many students struggle with how to organize their time effectively during exam periods. Because there are no breaks or distractions, most people start organizing their study around what time they will be awake, which isn’t very effective.
Time management doesn’t work like that! You can’t just wake up and prepare yourself for an examination at a certain time, so why try?
Instead, use this method to plan your studying. Get out of bed early, eat breakfast, and then simply write for one hour. Don’t worry about anything else – you can read from the textbook, look up concepts, etc. while you’re writing.
Once your hour is up, immediately stop writing and go straight back to sleep. This process should only take you half an hour, but it’ll help you feel more prepared than ever.
Commit to a writing schedule
After you have found a good time of day for general writing, you will need to commit to doing some specific writing during that time period. This can be done in one of two ways: You can either use a pre-set length of time or you can allocate a set amount of time each week!
The first way is much easier as you just need to remember when your next piece of writing should happen. The second option is slightly more complicated but very effective if you cannot seem to find the right balance between work and life.
Using the latter method requires less time up front than the former, which can make it the better choice if you are not quite sure whether this technique will work for you. Both require the same number of steps.
Step 1: Find an area with no distractions
You will need to start by finding a place where you can write undisturbed. This could be at your desk, under a tree, or anywhere else that does not have too many things around it.
Anywhere with a lot of noise like a house nearby being burgled or people outside talking will not help you focus. Finding a quiet space away from other areas is important so that you do not get distracted there.
Step 2: Make a regular pattern
Now that you have found a place free of disturbances and noises, you will want to make yourself frequent the location. If you use the shorter version time management here, making daily visits is enough.
Work on your craft
After you have mastered the material, it’s time to move onto the next stage which is applying what you know in class. This means studying how you can use what you have learned in context – making sure that you are using it effectively.
It may also mean practicing your skills or exercises out of book! Many universities now offer technology such as Google Apps or Microsoft Office 365 where you can do this easily.
You could even take self-study courses via YouTube or other websites to improve your skill set.
In both cases, there are ways to get help too. You can ask classmates, teachers or staff at your school if there are any free resources available to you. These might be limited to after hours or during holidays when normal classes stop running.
Write out your plan for the day
After you have determined what tasks need to be done, the next thing is to organize it into time frames. You will want to make a list of everything that needs to be done and then determine how much time each task takes.
Some things can be done in a short amount of time, while other tasks take longer. No matter what kind of job you have, there are always things that must get done!
For example, if you have to prepare for an exam, you could decide to wake up early and study before work, or maybe even spend half of the night studying. It all depends on what timing works best for you and your schedule.
By having a start time frame, you begin organizing and planning your days more effectively. If something comes up and you cannot meet your deadline, you can simply move another item up a few hours to compensate.
Stay consistent
It is very difficult to maintain your level of commitment when you run out of time, which can be a common occurrence if you are in frequent change jobs or situations require changes that don’t allow for adequate preparation.
The best way to avoid this problem is to establish a routine that doesn’t depend too heavily on any one factor. For example, I have a set schedule at home where I eat breakfast, take my lunch, and put away what I should get done before I go to work. At night, I make sure I review anything I need to for the next day and then hit sleep.
During the days I am not spending time prepping for an exam, I spend time doing other things like studying or working on projects. If I find myself with little motivation, I try to do something more productive until I feel better.
Practice makes perfect
The best way to manage your time is by having a system. This can be done in several ways, but one of the most effective is creating blocks of time for each task.
By doing this, you make sure that nothing gets overlooked as there are set times built into the schedule for it.
You will also have to do some extra work at first due to the fact that these block assignments don’t usually exist yet, but once you get the hang of it, it works very well.
The more familiar you become with how much time things take, the better! You will soon learn what is really necessary for success and what can be cut down or even eliminated.
If anything, using time effectively helps you develop self-discipline, since you’re giving yourself specific amounts of time to complete tasks.
Take breaks
A lot of people do not realize how important it is to take frequent breaks while studying. This can be for anything, from getting some food or going to the bathroom to having a brief chat with a friend.
However, what most students do not understand is that when you are spending eight hours every day in front of a book, you need to give your body time to relax.
Your mind will begin to wander if you don’t give it something else to think about. So, by leaving yourself short intervals to recover, you are actually hurting your overall performance.
There are several ways to make sure you are giving yourself enough breaks. The easiest way is just to set a regular schedule where you know you will have a certain amount of time off each day.
This helps reset your mental clock so that you do not feel like you have to push harder to cover as much material in a shorter period.