By now, you’ve probably heard of the Study Hubs: they're online spaces for U of T students to get support in getting their work done. But if you’re not sure how to use them, worry not: here are my personal tips on using the Study Hubs to practice managing your time!
- Start slow. If you’re new to Study Hubs, don’t sign up for six sessions at once. Instead, sign up for one session and aim to get through that session first. After the first session, you can assess your performance during the Hub and sign up for the next one if you want (there is at least a 30-min gap between sessions).
Note: Give Study Hubs at least three chances! Personally, I wasn’t quite productive for the first two sessions. I only started attending Study Hubs more regularly after my third session, when I finally got a hang of it.
- Schedule your next day with the Hubs. You can practice time blocking using Study Hubs. Let’s say you have classes from 11 am - 1 pm and 4 - 6 pm. If there’s a Hub happening between 1 and 4 pm and you have work to do, schedule that in. You’re more likely to work on your assignment during a Study Hub if you schedule it in your calendar and make it visible.
Example from last semester’s exam + holiday season
- Sign up before you want to attend one. I tend to sign up for at least one session in the morning the night before. However, I only sign up for the remaining sessions on the day itself: I feel like the action of registering for a new session every 2 hours is more motivating. If I sign up for a session a long time before, I’m less likely to attend it since I don’t quite remember the purpose of signing up for the Study Hub in the first place.
- When you have a lot of small tasks, break Study Hubs in two. The two-hour Study Hubs have a midway break, which means there are two different time blocks you can use to set two different goals. You can also use this to practice breaking your tasks down. For example, if you need to write 500 words, then you can set your goal as “I am going to write at least 250 words for the first half of the session and another 250 words for the second half.” You can also try switching goals for each block if you get bored easily with your assignment.
Also, it is completely okay to:
- Change your goals midway
- Leave the session early for any reason: sometimes things happen, so don't worry about not staying around for the whole session.
- Not complete your goals: It takes practice to estimate how much time you need for each task. Gives yourself some flexibility and compassion. Take a break for a bit before continuing!
Our student life bloggers have written about our study hubs multiple times as well, which you can check out by clicking the links below:
WHY VIRTUAL STUDY HUBS WORK – PRODUCTIVITY, MOTIVATION, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
WHAT IT’S LIKE ATTENDING A VIRTUAL STUDY HUB
WHY EVERY STUDENT SHOULD ATTEND A VIRTUAL STUDY HUB
Stay safe!
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