{"id":30029,"date":"2016-11-24T10:05:22","date_gmt":"2016-11-24T15:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=30029"},"modified":"2017-02-07T23:21:14","modified_gmt":"2017-02-08T04:21:14","slug":"scheduling-your-way-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2016\/11\/24\/scheduling-your-way-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Scheduling Your Way to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"With November coming to an end, finals are rapidly approaching and it\u2019s time for us to start preparing!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\u2019m going to be honest with you, the first thing I did after seeing the exam schedule for this semester was panic \u2013 I have 3 exams within 2 days. If I want to do my best on all my exams, cramming isn\u2019t an option. Therefore, it\u2019s time to start scheduling my time wisely.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_30047\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30047\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30047 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of my arm with a blue watch\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30047\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Time is ticking<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to exam prep, scheduling is extremely helpful and the earlier you do it, the more effective it will be. Scheduling is helpful because it ensures you understand what tasks and sub-tasks you need to complete to be prepared for your exams. This\u00a0provides you with concrete daily goals and provides direction to your learning. Furthermore, scheduling helps you\u00a0allocate enough time for each task.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlong with helping you pace out your tasks,\u00a0scheduling promotes a balanced lifestyle if done correctly. When scheduling your day, it is important to set aside enough time\u00a0for self-care.\u00a0\u00a0Self-care involves the things you do to take care of your physical and mental health, such as getting enough sleep, practicing good personal hygeine, eating healthy and nutritious foods, getting the recommended\u00a0amount of daily physical acvitiy, spending time with your friends and family, and much more. \u00a0In order to ensure that you are at your peak performance when studying for and writing your exams, you must simultaneously practice self-care and effective studying. Here are some daily\/weekly reccomended activities:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>8-9 hours of sleep a day<\/li>\r\n\t<li>About 1 hour daily to brush teeth, shower, wash face, etc<\/li>\r\n\t<li>About 1-2 hours to cook and\/or eat healthy and nutritious meals and snacks<\/li>\r\n\t<li>30 minutes of physical activity a day<\/li>\r\n\t<li>About 1-2 hours to socialize with friends and family<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Set aside a few hours\u00a0on weekends for laundary, grocery shopping, meal prepping, hanging out with friends<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTo start scheduling, you will need a tool that works for you. I prefer using a digital calendar. Other tools include:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Scheduling app<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Agenda\/Journal<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Hard-copy weekly or monthly calendars<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Cork board display with to-do lists for each day of week<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHow to schedule for exams:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Jot down the exam dates<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Identify all the tasks and subtasks you need to complete to prepare for each of your\u00a0exams. There are 4 main stages of exam prep:<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px\">1. Diagnosis \u2013 Self-assess how much you know, and what you will need to know for your exam\r\n2. Assistance \u2013\u00a0If necessary, seek academic help from professors, teaching assistants, peers, or your tutor\r\n3. Consolidation\/Memorization \u2013 Review and memorize the required course content\r\n4. Self-Testing \u2013\u00a0Practice your learning through completion of homework problems, past tests, or mock essays<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px\"><em>(<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2016\/10\/27\/my-experience-with-the-academic-success-center-drop-ins\/\" target=\"_blank\">For more information, read one of my previous blog posts where I expand on what each of the exam prep stage entails<\/a>)\r\n<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Identify how much time you will need for daily and weekly study and self-care activities<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Realistically allocate enough time to complete each task. For example, if you have 100 pages of readings, and you can read a page per minute, allocate about 130 minutes for the task (including time for breaks).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Always allocate a \"catch up day\" every two weeks, or a few hours every week to accommodate miscellaneous setbacks. Due to the uncertainty of reality, things may not go exactly as planned. It's essential that you allocate time where you can complete unfinished tasks so that your overall progress isn't hindered. Furthermore, if you manage to stay on schedule for those two weeks, these \"catch up times\" can\u00a0simultaneously act as a reward, because staying on task means that you get time off!<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Create a rewarding system \u2013 creating a schedule is simple, but sticking to that schedule requires dedication. To stay motivated, make sure you reward yourself for following your schedule.\u00a0Rewards\u00a0should be something meaningful to you, such as an edibile treat, an epsiode of your favourite show, dinner at your favourite restaurant, phone call with friends, etc.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIf you are unfamiliar with scheduling (or even if you are familiar!), I highly recommend you meet with a learning strategist. A learning strategist is a trained professional who provides individualized academic support\u00a0by guiding you towards the\u00a0appropriate strategies to maximize your learning efficiency. Learning strategists\u00a0can help you schedule your time wisely to set you on the path to success. Visit the Academic Success Center website to learn more about how you can meet with a learning strategist.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHappy scheduling!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Slesha<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With November coming to an end, finals are rapidly approaching and it\u2019s time for us to start preparing!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nI\u2019m going to be honest with you, the first thing I did after seeing the exam schedule for this semester was panic \u2013 I have 3 exams within 2 days. If I want to do my best on all my exams, cramming isn\u2019t an option. Therefore, it\u2019s time to start scheduling my time wisely.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_30047\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30047\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30047 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of my arm with a blue watch\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/11\/IMG_0922-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30047\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Time is ticking<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2016\/11\/24\/scheduling-your-way-to-success\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Scheduling Your Way to Success&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":297,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,58,68],"tags":[127,23738,89,250,441,1837],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30029"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30029"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30052,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30029\/revisions\/30052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}