With a clever time management during the exam phase, you can significantly reduce your stress and work more relaxed from exam to exam. And the best thing is: time management doesn’t have to be boring and complicated. Small measures and simple adjustments are often enough for quick results. That’s we’ve put together a few tips for you that will immediately improve your time management during the exam phase. Here we go.
4 Tips For Better Time Management In Your Exam Period
Time Management Requires Sacrifice!
Many students want to juggle everything during the exam phase. They don’t want to miss out on free time, friends, hobbies or vacations and are trying desperately to reconcile these activities with their learning schedule. However, the truth is, if you are not willing to make sacrifices for your college success, you will not be successful in college. Never. In extreme phases, it is not possible to just carry on as before. You have to make some adjustments to the areas of your life for a short period of time – and that includes neglecting a few things. I don’t mean that you should isolate yourself completely or ruin your health, but rather: get clear about which activities should be the focus for you and put a lot of your focus on them.
Plan In Writing!
The most common reason why students fail their exams is due to poor or non-existent planning. If you go through your exam prep without a plan, you will almost certainly fail. Why? Because without a written plan, you overlook important issues, lose track of time, and become more prone to problems. A written plan also shows that you are serious about your project. It’s like a contract – with yourself. You can’t approach your “examination phase” project in a more binding and motivating way. The 10/90 rule also applies when planning: For every minute you invest in planning a task, you save a full 9 minutes in executing it. With a plan you are faster, work more purposefully and efficiently.
Block Times!
The daily rhythm in the examination period differs significantly from the structure of the lecture period. There are (almost) no more fixed appointments that divide your day. You are responsible for learning units, deadlines and meetings with the study group. But this is precisely where many examinees fail. During the exam phase, you live the day without a fixed plan. To prevent this from happening to you, you should set specific times for studying right from the start. Block binding times in your calendar and reserve these time slots for your exam preparation. Decide what time you want to study for each day of the week. At the same time, set your own deadlines for certain chapters or topics from your learning material and thus give your planning the necessary commitment.
No Time Management Without Breaks!
Once at the desk, many students study for hours. They try to be extra diligent and work their way through their papers non-stop. Unfortunately, however, this effort does not bring them much, because concentration and receptivity decrease disproportionately after a short time. The once productive unit of study then turns into a tedious occupational therapy that ends up producing no significant learning results, instead leaving headaches and bad moods as a result. Without breaks, you will never be able to access your full potential when studying. Only with small, regular breaks can you stay focused and efficient over a longer period of time. Five minutes is often enough: get up, move something, drink water, stretch, carry on. Breaks are part of smart time management. If you refuse, you face a much longer mandatory break. And you can’t afford that.
