How to Prepare for Your Classes: Tips for Creating a Study Timetable
Check out this three step process for preparing your timetable.
Setting Up Your Timetable
1.Review your current schedule to see how you spend your time.
Before you create a study timetable that’s perfectly tailored for your academic goals, get a sense for how you’re running your life right now.
2. Collect all the information you can about your class.
Review your syllabus to see all the exams, group discussions, essays, and assignments you’ll be responsible for. If you accidentally tossed it, ask your teacher for another one.
See which tasks are more time-consuming.
3. Decide which times are optimal for studying.
Consider when your brain is alert and when you’re most energized. When it comes to reviewing your materials, are you a morning or a night person? After the sun rises and you chow down on a bowl of oatmeal, are you ready and raring to go? Or, do you like to eat dinner, wind down, and meticulously look over your notes?
4. Create your timetable grid.
Are you a big picture type of person? If so, you might want to make a study timetable that maps out a whole month. However, you may prefer to “chunk” your material and create a study timetable that outlines your week.
Some apps specialize in study timetables—for instance “My Study Life” helps you record and track all of your exams and assignments.
5. Draw the grid for your timetable.
A traditional timetable tracks all the days you’ll spend studying as well as the time you’ll allot for each task. Once you create a grid with plenty of squares (for example, a 7x8 grid), write the days of the week at the top. Once those squares are filled in, the rest can be used to block out times when you’ll study for tests, assignments, or presentations.
6. Choose a timetable template that you'll use every week.
If you’d like to streamline your process, design or download a timetable that you’ll print out and fill in every week. Create a batch of these timetables in one go based on the information you receive from your syllabus and your course management system, like Blackboard. All this prep will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Take into account big assignments or final exams and update your study schedule by adding blocks of time you'll use to study for them.
Filling in Your Timetable
1. Block your study times.
Aim for blocks of study time that are fairly long, such as 2–4 continuous hours. This will help you get into the groove of studying and make sure you're more productive with your time.
2. Schedule time for breaks.
Breaks are essential to your success. After all, you're not a robot, and no one, not even your teacher, expects you to work non-stop for hours on end.
Try the "Pomodoro Method": during the block of time that you're studying, commit to 25 minute stretches of concentrated work, then take 5-minute breaks.
3. Be as specific as possible.
Remember how you gathered all your assignments and syllabi? Now's the time to put them to use. Schedule blocks of time that represent when you'll study for all of your classes. Also, remember to fill out squares on your grid to note which assignments and presentations you'll be responsible for. For instance, instead of just writing "English," jot down: "Create an outline for an essay on postmodernism." You'll have a clear picture of what you need to prioritize.
4. Schedule multiple subjects during each session.
Keep in mind that it's totally okay to use one continuous block of study time to review concepts from different classes. For example, use a 4-hour block to review French vocabulary, chemical reactions, and business practices.
Working on different subjects during a single session will keep you from getting completely burned out by intensely focusing on one subject and ending up with next to no energy to do anything else.
5. Color code your timetable to keep track of all your classes.
Color coding classes and responsibilities will help make your timetable easier to use and be easier on the eyes. You might be looking at this timetable a lot—make it your own! Who knows: you might end up enjoying the process of managing your studying time and sprucing up your timetable. Best case scenario? You'll see it as a fun and almost therapeutic activity that lets you get a little artistic.
Using the Timetable
1. Stick to the plans and schedules you agreed to.
It might take some time for you to really get used to fitting your life around your timetable and taking it seriously without any deviations. Just give it a chance. Once it’s a part of your routine, it’s going to be a big help. Plus, think of it this way—it's a great tool to ensure you dominate your classes. When you ace all your tests and earn an awesome grade, so many doors will open up for you. All that dedication gives you a great chance to treat yourself later.
2. Relax whenever you make any tiny slip-ups.
There's no reason to follow your timetable down to the exact minute. Look, if you start studying for Spanish at 5:05 P.M. instead of 5:00 P.M., it's not the end of the world.
Just focus on finishing up all your most important tasks while also factoring in time for some rest and relaxation. Ultimately, a timetable's a little system to help you perform better in your classes. Base your time on it, but don’t worry about not following it to the tee.
3. Revise your timetable if you need to adjust your study schedule.
See what works and what doesn’t, and if something isn’t working, feel free to fix it. You already put effort into making the timetable—there’s no reason to scrap it when a few simple revisions could make it work well for you. While it's best to stick to your timetable, it's also important to update it if there are any new developments.
