ESSENTIAL STRATIGIES FOR SUCCESS
DO’S AND DON’TS FOR EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT
Do: Study at a regularly scheduled time every day.
By studying every day, you establish a good routine. This is important for two reasons. First, it
helps you get started. As with other positive habits such as exercise, routine creates the attitude
of expectation that you will do what has to be done. Second, research tells us that we learn more
efficiently if we study for shorter sessions spaced over several days rather than cramming at the
last minute.
Do: Know how much time you spend studying.
What other way is there to determine whether your study methods are effective and efficient? As
a general rule of thumb, an average student should plan to spend two hours of study time for
every hour of class. On a semester hour basis, most introductory courses would consist of three
hours of class per week. Therefore, MINIMUM study time should be six hours per week.
Do: Turn in assignments on time.
Always turn assignments in on time. It is senseless to turn an assignment in late and risk losing
points when you are doing the work anyway. Do it on time.
Do: Review frequently.
Frequent reviewing is one of the keys to learning large amounts of complex information.
Do: Take short breaks every hour or so.
Studies indicate that the most efficient timing is to study for about fifty minutes to an hour and
then take a short break of five or ten minutes. There are two exceptions to this: either writing a
paper, or solving a complex problem in math of logic will benefit more from periods of
continuous work (say two to three hours) without interruption of a break.
Do: Find time for fun.
Successful students find time for fun because they use efficient strategies that leave them time to
do so and because they know the wisdom of the old adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a
dull boy.”