gardner10e

1.2.2 CHART A WEEKLY TIMETABLE

Now that you have created a term preview, the weekly timetable model in Figure 2.2 can help you tentatively plan how to spend your hours in a typical week. Here are some tips for creating a weekly schedule:

As you create your schedule, try to reserve at least 2 hours of study time for each hour spent in class. This universally accepted “2-for-l” rule reflects faculty members’ expectations for how much work you should be doing to earn a good grade in their classes. This means that if you take a typical full-time class load of fifteen credits, for example, you should plan to study an additional 30 hours per week. Think of this 45-hour-per-week commitment as comparable to a full-time job. If you are also working, reconsider how many hours per week it will be reasonable for you to be employed above and beyond this commitment, or consider reducing your credit load.
Depending on your biorhythms, obligations, and potential distractions, decide whether you study more effectively in the day or in the evening, or a combination of both. Determine whether you are capable of getting up very early in the morning to study or how late you can stay up at night and still wake up for morning classes.
Not all assignments are equal. Estimate how much time you will need for each one, and begin your work early. A good time manager frequently finishes assignments before actual due dates to allow for emergencies.

Figure 1.2: Weekly Timetable Using your term calendar, create your own weekly timetable. You can find blank templates on the book’s Web site at bedfordstmartins.com/gardner. As you complete your timetable, keep in mind the suggestions in this chapter. Do you want your classes back to back or with breaks in between? How early in the morning are you willing to start classes? Do you prefer—or do work or family commitments require you—to take evening classes? Are there times of day when you are more alert? Less alert? How many days per week do you want to attend classes? At some institutions you can go to school full-time by attending classes exclusively on Saturday. Plan how you will spend your time for the coming week. Track all of your activities for a full week by entering into your schedule everything you do and how much time each task requires. Use this record to help you estimate the time you will need for similar activities in the future.

biorhythms The internal mechanisms that drive our daily patterns of physical, emotional, and mental activity.

YOUR TURN

What are the best and worst times for you to study? Why? Have you found a particular time when it’s easier for you to concentrate or be creative?

Keep track of how much time it takes you to complete different kinds of tasks. For example, depending on your skills and interests, it might take longer to read a chapter in a biology text than to read one in a literature text. Keeping track of your time will help you estimate how much time to allocate for similar tasks in the future. How long does it really take you to solve a set of twenty math problems or to write up a chemistry lab? Use your weekly timetable to track how you actually spend your time for an entire week.