Study Success – The Study Time Trap – Part 1

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A study schedule is probably one of the first things a serious and well-meaning student will do when they sit down to tackle their study. In fact, it is one of the first things that those who teach study skills will recommend. I have seen it many times, and have done it myself many times; you spend hours dividing your time equally, drawing the chart with artistic fervor, making sure all subjects get their fair share. Two days later, you’re working on a new one! Yes, time management is a very important aspect of your study, but there are some pitfalls and pitfalls to this study approach!

  • It’s a hidden form of procrastination: while time spent getting organized is very important, very often composing a schedule is really just a way of putting off studying! You are in danger of this if you spend hours making your schedule neat and artistic, or if you often start new schedules when you stray from your original course. If you must make one, make sure it’s rough and fast. And start studying right away.
  • The emphasis is on the time spent and not on the work done. You have forty minutes for math; You keep checking your watch, hoping the time will run out soon, and as soon as it does, “Woo hoo, I’m done studying!” You can honestly throw up your hands and say you “tried” or “worked hard” when those results aren’t coming. And no one can understand how you didn’t do better. (Parents are often perplexed by the hours spent in the dorm studying without corresponding progress in school!)
  • There is no focus on what needs to be covered. The schedules make you continue, following your routine without checking if you are covering enough. It is possible that despite all the time invested, the end of the year comes and you still have not finished all your work!
  • Schedules are security blankets. They make you feel like you’re studying, they make you feel better, but they don’t make you address the actual progress you’re making.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? I know from my own experience and from the knowing smiles I get from my students when I mention these traps that many students fall for the schedule trap! So what do we do about it? Throw out schedules entirely? Not at all. Used correctly, time management is essential to a good study program. But it shouldn’t be your first step, especially if time is short, and it often is when it comes to studying, let’s face it!

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