It is essential that you create a study schedule that works for you.
Today I will provide you with six steps in creating an effective study schedule, which
will help you improve your grades and your life.
Hi, this is Professor Beau Baez.
A study schedule is nothing more than a tool of your creation.
You need one to help you remained focused on the things that are important,
and to keep yourself accountable.
A few weeks ago I began reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography.
What I learned is that he didn’t waste time.
Franklin wrote that "diligence is the mother of good luck."
In other words, there is no such thing as good luck, but rather the rewards in life
go to those who remain conscientious rather than squandering the time
you can never get back.
Inward, outward, upward.
Inward, use a study schedule to keep you focused.
Outward, you will become more productive.
And upward, begin earning better grades.
So here are the six steps to a successful study schedule.
First, place your fixed commitments into the schedule.
This will include your classes, religious services, study groups, travel to and from
school, calling your Mom, and whatever else doesn’t vary each week.
Second, create a realistic schedule.
Some people create a schedule with every moment of their day mapped out.
That does work for some students, but it doesn’t work for most.
Studies show that most students get frustrated when something interrupts their daily schedule,
and then they just give up on the schedule
when they can’t complete what they're supposed to do.
If you can map each minute of your day, great---use that.
But for everyone else, create weekly or monthly goals.
This allows you to build in time for those unexpected moments in life, and should result
in you keeping the commitments you’ve made to yourself.
Third, create achievable goals.
Don’t write down things like getting the highest grade in each of my classes or getting
the best grade on a test—that is outside of your control.
Instead, a goal should be process focused.
This might include things like complete the course, join a study group, write a five page
essay on the final exam, or show up to all of my classes five minutes early.
Fourth, write down the steps for each goal.
It is these steps that you will place into your schedule.
Assuming you have weekly goals, they might include 12 hours preparing for class, 10 hours
reviewing notes, 2 hours preparing outlines, and 2 hours writing practice essays.
Fifth, remain flexible.
Rather than scheduling a specific time for a specific course, instead create a block
of time called “class studying.”
You can then alternate course material, rather than forcing yourself to do only the self-assigned
material you scheduled.
By the way, avoid spending more than one hour at a time on one course.
Our brains need variety to maximize learning.
During a two hour study block you might cover two or three courses,
with small breaks during that time.
I spend some time explaining a great method, the Pomodoro Technique, in another video.
By the way, life will interrupt your schedule.
Shift what you're doing to do during that time to a different time.
Just don’t get frustrated, and realize that moving things around is normal.
Some years ago I was a at a Steven Covey time management workshop, and he told me that when
you don’t reschedule these time commitments, you are cheating yourself.
This is because you determined that this was important.
If it wasn’t important then maybe it shouldn’t have been on your schedule.
Sixth, make time for you.
Include times for breaks, exercise, cooking, laundry, entertainment, and watching my videos
at they come out every other Wednesday.
As I’ve mentioned before, your brain can’t work at its optimal ability by studying for
hours on end.
You can force yourself to do that, but that doesn’t mean
you will actually learn very much.
Once you create a plan and you’ve used it for a week, spend a few minutes at the end
of the week reflecting on it.
See what worked, what didn’t work, and tweak it a bit.
Again, this is your tool, so make sure it’s working for you.
Finally, if you want to see more videos like this, hit the thumbs up so more people will
see this video and I can keep making more great videos for you.