Seton Home Study School Study Skills Online

A study schedule is vitally important to complete your goals on time. A study schedule is basic to good study habits, which is the key to success with schoolwork or with a career.

Make out a seven-day schedule according to what you do now. Start it at the hour you get out of bed in the morning to the hour you go to bed at night. Include how much time is spent watching TV, sleeping, talking on the phone, eating, and so on.

Time is a very precious resource. You need to spend your time wisely. Set yourself a schedule for everything, not just studying. Keep to your schedule.

Be realistic. Look at your time schedule. What can you omit? What can you readjust? How much time per day should you spend studying or working on your report? Which days of the week can you spend studying? Can you spend more time on weekdays or on weekends?

Be determined to keep to your schedule. It takes willpower, motivation, perseverance, and determination. When you accomplish your goals, you will be proud of yourself, and other people will respect you for your accomplishments.

As you make your time schedule, try to consider what time of day is best for you to study. Some people do best in the morning, some in the afternoon. Try to arrange your schedule so that you are studying during the best time of day for you.

 General Principles for Planning Study Time 

• Obtain a calendar. You may purchase one with big spaces, or you may make one with big squares. If you own a computer, you might be able to use it for maintaining your schedule.

• Write on your calendar everything you know is already required or definite, such as working days or family commitments. Include the days when your reports are due or your course needs to be finished.

• Make your own weekly schedules with the Seton Planner, or one you might purchase. List the days of the week at the top, the hours of the day at the left side. You should break up the hours into one‑half hour time segments, if appropriate.

• In this one-week calendar, write down what you intend to do and when. Be realistic. Don't schedule five straight hours of study time. Include rest periods or periods for a snack break. Most people of your age can study for about 50 minutes without a break, and then take a ten-minute break.

• Studies have shown that physical exercise actually improves mental sharpness. During your ten-minute break, you should consider doing exercises, such as running up and down the stairs, walking around outside, or jumping rope.

• Decide which subjects are your most difficult. Do those during your best study time. Some like to do the most difficult subjects first. Others need to get "warmed up" on the easy ones and then move on to the harder ones.

• Be consistent. You will do better if you are psychologically prepared to do a particular subject at a certain hour each day. You are better off being mentally ready for a subject at the same time each day.

• Be prepared. Look at your assignments for the week ahead. You may need a library book on a particular day during the week. .

• If you have a lesson plan book, you should write down the assignments either at the beginning of each day, or perhaps at the beginning of each week. As you write the lessons, take a look at the textbook so you can see what you will be doing. This way you are mentally prepared for the assignments for the week.

• Flexibility. Some people become stressed when they make plans and schedules but cannot stick to the schedule. While you should do your very best to stick to the schedule, we can guarantee that there will be times when something unpredictable will happen. When it does, readjust your schedule temporarily. You might even need to make a new schedule due to some unforeseen development.

• Ask your parents to help you work out your study schedule so that they will help you to stick with it.

          Next: Lesson 9.