Investing in Yourself

1. Investing in Yourself • Lecture 2 • Study Skills and Research Skills module.

2. Managing Time • Officially: each 10 credits you study corresponds to 100 hours of total work • Study time • Going to classes • Doing homework, research, exams • Organizing your study • In reality... • There is no magic number of hours needed to maximise learning • Key is to spend your time well.

3. Creating Time! • “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!” • Don't become dull! • Allocate good-sized chunks of time to study. • your lecture time, leisure time, etc., should also be indicated. • Make a weekly timetable, for all 7 days of the week. • Break it down into Morning/Afternoon/Evening, or perhaps into 2-hour chunks (e.g, 8-10, 10-12).

4. Creating Time!

5. Creating Time! • Save the weekly time template and print it off at the start of each week. • Fill in the hours spent on your main non-study activities during the week (work, leisure, eating, sleeping, etc.) • The total hours that you fill in for each day are for your study time. • Fill in the study time for each day and make a total for each day, and the week.

6. Creating Time! • High and Low Quality Time • Not all of your time is equal quality • High Quality time is when you are alert, able to concentrate, and work undisturbed for a good chunk of time • Low Quality time is the rest of the time • You should identify these chunks of time! • You need to manage your time so that you use your high quality time for the tasks that most need it.

7. Creating Time! • Plan the week(s) ahead. • Your TO DO list shows what tasks are immediately ahead of you. • Your weekly study chart tells you where to find time to do your tasks. • Now … you: • Make a TO DO list • Make a weekly study chart

8. Using Time Well • It's easy to get distracted. • When you read something and don't understand it, you feel uneasy and restless. • You distract yourself, as this lets you focus on familiar things that you can control. • Routine orderly tasks particularly appealing. • The urge to avoid uncertainty is very strong. • That is why its important to set yourself specific tasks which give shape and meaning to your work.

9. Using Time Well • When you read, use a highlighter pen to mark useful passages of text. • The choices you make about which words to highlight keep your mind in gear and this makes reading less passive. • Make notes in the margin too, whether you agree or disagree.

10. Check your progress. • Sit somewhere else for a while. Switch to a task you find more interesting. Take a short break. Do something physically active. • Focus on what you find interesting. Play to your strength. Don't let the course dominate you. Stay in control.

11. Time vs. Task • Try to balance time management vs task management. • If you tend to think in terms of “hours put in” rather than what you have achieved, then you find yourself filling up time with unimportant tasks. • To avoid this, set out with a goal of completing specific tasks.

12. Time vs. Task • On the other hand, if you focus too much on completing a task you can let it drag on too long. • You need to switch your attention between task and time management.

13. Equipping Yourself • Pens and highlighter pens • A4 note pads and printer paper • Paper clips, stapler • Pocket files, filing boxes, sticky labels. • A good dictionary (or online) • Shelf space for books and filing boxes • Access to a computer with internet connection

14. Filing System • Have some method of organizing your study documents: • Lecture notes • Homework • Research • Treat the filing system as a work in progress • Keep upgrading it • What matters is whether you can find documents quickly when you need them.

15. Managing Your Morale • What lowers your morale? • Disruption • Overload --- information, work, tasks • Personal pressures • Lack of confidence • Lack of structure in your life • Alienation (your studies make you feel like you won't belong in the university community) • Dislocation (you feel your studies cut you off from family and friends)

16. Managing Your Morale • Everyday crises • Feeling overwhelmed by work. • Struggling to make sense • Writing assignments • Bad days at the office • Disagreeable course elements • Disappoint results • Obsession with grades • Exam anxiety

17. What Lifts Morale? • Achievements • Completed tasks • Good results • Creating structure • Tidying up: getting organized • Administration: deal with those details • Planning. Update your TODO list and plan the next week.

18. What Lifts Morale? • Knowledge • Understanding something in a lecture, or something you read in an article • Using knowledge. Find yourself understanding and taking sides in a TV or radio debate. • Personal Growth • Express yourself. Speak in class, or seminars. Take control. • Accept new challenges. Volunteer for things related to your learning.

19. What Lifts Morale? • Belonging. • Joining student groups. • Speaking your mind. • Sharing. • Peer support. Remember, most other students have the same problems as you. • Staff support. • Home support.

20. The Successful Self-Manager • Be active. You are not a passenger. Be in control. • Be strategic. Constantly assess your situation. • Be systematic. Take time to plan. • Be analytical. Break down tasks. • Be reflective. Learn from your experience. • Give yourself incentives. Remind yourself of your goals. • Manage your morale.