Study abroad is a whole lot of fun but it does involve study time! Steffi Sung Yi Chuah in a Business Management student at Letterkenny IT (LYIT) and in this blog she gives you advice on time management, helping you to focus on academics and make the most of your time abroad…
Give yourself a specific bedtime & wake up time
I know it is hard to wake up early when your mom is not around to be your alarm clock but you must remember, from the day you left you home to study abroad you began the journey to independence. And waking up on time is all part of this journey! A quality sleep can help you to remain focused and alert during study time and will help you be more productive.
Avoid procrastination & distraction
Remember, what works for one person might not necessarily work for you. For some, studying with friends can limit their productivity. But for others, studying in groups can help to increase motivation and avoid procrastination.
Time management needs preparation; and the best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today
Use a to-do list every day
Prepare it the night before. Consider at what time you are at your best. Then plan to study at this time when you will be most productive, for effective time management. However, you need to be flexible too, adapt your timetable if something unplanned comes up.
Avoid being a perfectionist
Don’t try to tackle a lot of big projects at once. Don’t plan to finish three assignments the day before the deadline. Some subjects consume more of your time than others. It’s easy to focus on the subjects we like most, and neglect the hard ones so aim to get these out of the way first.
Rewards and a reminder
It is a good idea to build rewards into your timetable to act as motivation. These could include an hour relaxation. For example, go for dinner with friends or catch a movie.
My parting advice? Planning is essential to study success and you know what they say…‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail!’