it would be nice to say that I always know what I’m doing, but with 2.5 jobs + four classes + social life….it gets pretty hectic. add in a delightful lack of time awareness, and battling the assignments i get every week is hard to handle. this past week, i had a lot of work obligations that I unfortunately had to let get in the way of my homework completions [not to mention a stop-messing-with-this-studying headache that I got on Thursday]. it’s really helpful to plan ahead so I can avoid that drowning feeling, and also avoid those days that my brain just doesn’t want to cooperate with me! these tips are all methods that I personally use to deal with school as a dyslexic student with poor time management skills, so they may not all work for you!
⚡️syllabi out the wazoo: I look over my syllabi as soon as I get them [up to four weeks ahead of time, or the night before class starts]. looking over usual homework due dates, and bigger exams and papers for my smaller classes means that I can gauge a general routine for my ‘study’ hours.
⚡️plug that ish in on a calendar: I have a Mac, so the calendar app works well enough for me. I like the idea of physical calendars, but I always seem to forget to make my writing small enough for other things…and because I have four classes and many things due every week…hand cramp central. my current bujo is actually just for jotting notes or little to-dos, but weekly spreads are really helpful as well if you keep up with it! if your school uses canvas, you can subscribe through a calendar app to monitor new assignment additions automatically.
⚡️ set reminders ahead of time: sometimes my lack of executive function skills get to me, and I push things off until the very last second. fooling myself by pushing due dates up two days early has helped me a lot, as I think Oh, this is due TODAY, let’s get it done, Pooh! rather than waiting until midnight when I’m tired and cranky and miserable about messing up my assignment. for exams, I have reminders set two weeks, and then one week in advance, so that I start reviewing material before it’s crunch time, and I have more time to truly absorb the content.
⚡️ find time to catch up: I’m a commuter, and the parking on my campus SUCKS. if I want a good spot, I have to get to school before 8 am, which usually means 2+ hours before work or class most days [unless it’s my 8 am, which I usually get to school an hour early for]. that gap is really good for getting ahead on assignments in the library [when it’s actually quiet and peaceful], meeting up with classmates/friends for quality time, and getting ready for a good day. the more you use those hours, the more free time you’ll end up having, because you won’t be spending the afternoon/evening on concepts that you should’ve known before class. this past week I found out about an event that I wanted to go to, on the very same day it was happening. luckily, I had already done a bunch of my readings, so I was free to go without worrying about hw! /// gonna be real and say I don’t take my laptop out while riding the train [don’t want to become a target], but I usually have a textbook of the day that I can read. even exposure to the material is helpful, and better than wasting that time on social media.. [guilty].
⚡️ plan assignments out in class: I’ve gotten pretty comfortable multi-tasking, and class is no exception. I usually schedule how I want to tackle assignments while I’m in class, so that I can start working on that game plan that day, instead of taking another few hours when I’m back to home to figure out how I want to structure my work time.
⚡️ studying…at work?: most of my jobs have allowed me to do my homework [lots of downtime], or at the very least, read while I’m on the clock. tempting to jump on reddit and kill time, but again….better to stick to education unless it’s truly scheduled FUN TIME. basically, if you’re at work, be working on something, whether it’s for coins or your degree. obviously, if your job is really tiring, no need to force things. and sometimes, work is a respite from the rest of your life. but if you have an opportunity to do so, and it’s not detrimental to your health….study at work.
some days, things just don’t go right! you feel sick or just blah, or something happened and you feel emotionally and mentally taxed, or you just don’t care! find a balance that works for you. I go back and forth between ‘it’s only for a few months, then I can rest’ vs ‘I just don’t give a [redacted] about this’. you won’t always choose the Straight A way every time. trust me, it won’t kill you to take a break either. be as wise as possible most of the time, so you can be foolish some of the time. :-]