To manage your studies and secure good grades, one of the most important things is student time management. It has often been seen that students feel stressed and overwhelmed by the shortage of time, are studying at hours when they are not fresh and productive, procrastinating their management assignment, cramming the night before and unable to submit their assignments on time.
Studying management is not easy. Having a structured approach and solid strategy is needed to understand this subject properly.
Recognizing your study habits:
Recognizing your study habits is essential. Students have to listen attentively to lectures, spend their study time on a range of topics, practice every day and take mock tests to prepare for the exam. The following steps must be kept in mind:
- Having a good idea of the syllabus and course structure is necessary. Stay up to date by attending everyday lectures. Submit your assignments on time.
- Before the lecture usually inform the students about next day’s topic. Reading about the topic beforehand helps. Having an idea about the topic boosts your confidence and gives you a good feel during the lecture.
- On lecture days go to class on time. Pay close attention to what the lecturer is saying. Note down the important points taught and clear any confusion you may have. Write down the names of the books recommended.
- After the lecture review your notes daily. Keep the notes neatly arranged. Go through management assignment answers for revision.
- Before the exam, solve every problem done in class and given in textbooks at least twice. Studying in a group also helps. You can solve each other’s problems and this increases your understanding of the subject.
Create a master list to follow:
Having a master list to follow will ease things. List down all things that you need to do. Writing down what you need to do reduces stress and gives you a clearer picture.
Try to be as specific as you can with your actions – like writing down “Read Chapter 2” instead of just “Read textbook”. Make sure that your list is practical and aligns with your goals as a student.
Coming up with a weekly plan:
Weekly plan is the natural short term planning tool. It reflects the ebb and flow of most people’s short term goals. It helps to avoid stressful write ups of assignments and last minute cramming sessions.
Good planning means pinpointing what is important and saving your time accordingly. You have to distinguish the important from the not-so-important as you cannot do everything at once. For management students having a weekly plan is win-win situation as:
- It reduces stress.
- Improves the quality of study.
- Improves your grades.
So planning your work and then working your plan is the key for success.
Things to avoid:
One of the biggest problems students face is carrying out a plan. You have your plan but you don’t know how to execute that plan. Some of the common problems students encounter are:
- A study has revealed that around 80% students procrastinate when they have an important assignment to do. Procrastinating an assignment only makes it worse as you have to submit it and are therefore compelled to do it anyhow. Better to set some time aside than do it at the last moment and increase your stress.
- There are distractions everywhere – Facebook, surfing the net – you name it. If you give in to distractions it means you spend less time on your assignments. Finding out your distractions and setting goals to reduce them is essential.
- It is necessary to priorities your work as there is so much to do and the time is less. Keep a daily schedule or routine to help priorities your work.
Don’t lose focus of your target and keep up to date with all that is being taught. In case you are having a problem with a specific part of management, that is finance, you can surely check out Managing your financial problems.
Additional tips:
Success starts with taking baby steps. Each step is a building block for success. Build on these little steps and work hard – this is the mantra that students need to follow.
Once you have achieved temporary success don’t stop following your routine. Set aside some time to review how much work needs to be done. If you feel you are not getting the most out of your to-do-list, then you can always modify it. Adapting to any situation is important. You never know what you may encounter. Be prepared mentally and display that mental toughness in pressure situations.
If possible, arrange for group studies. Group studies help you recognize your flaws and correct them. You can also help your friend solve a problem and helping with various problems increases your confidence. It gives you a better understanding of the subject.
Sometimes you may falter in your routine or your approach. Do not be disheartened. This is just a minor setback. Review your system and get to work correcting it. You are bound to encounter speed bumps along the way but having the correct approach and mind set will help you to push on. Being mentally strong will help you achieve your goals.
Use the internet and other technologies at your disposable to improve your skills. Nowadays all the information is only a click away. Reading about a topic from various online professional sources expands your knowledge. You may come across an additional piece of information which can come in handy.
