ISBN 9781352005851. Visit macmillanihe.com for more information about this book
9
Do I …?
Use the right ‘time tools’
Get equipped to manage time
How does this help? A few basic tools can make a big difference to how well you organise your time. Just an alarm clock, a good diary/planner and an up-to-date ‘to-do’ list take you a long way if used well. Experiment with study and time-saving apps to see what works for your style of doing things. Select a handful that really save time; avoid wasting time on app hunting. The value of your ‘time tools’ is more about using them well rather than having many of them. Look out for round-ups of latest study apps each year.21
Considering your responses This is relatively easy to sort. Clocks, alarms and planners are cheap and easily available and there are many free study apps. Look for items you can set up quickly and that suit your style of working, so they save you time rather than becoming diversions from study.
See also Ways 26, 44, 50 20 50 Ways to Manage Time Effectively
1. Do I get up as soon as my alarm goes off in the morning? Yes
No
2. Do I investigate new study apps to see if they can save me time? Yes
No
3. Do I use my diary/ planner well to keep my life organised? Yes
No
Find out more The Macmillan Student Planner (Cottrell)21 includes an annual update of time-saving apps. To do. I will …
ISBN 9781352005851. Visit macmillanihe.com for more information about this book
Put your time tools to good use!
Use an alarm clock Supplement the alarms on your phone. Put the alarm in a place that makes you get up (or at least move) to switch it off.
Use an academic diary … to plan and organise study time. zz Keep it up to date. zz Check throughout the day. zz Attach your daily ‘to-do’ list.
Plan assignments into your diary
Plan CV-building into your diary
Break assignments down into study tasks, such as reading, researching, writing drafts, etc. Write each step into your diary.
Make specific time available for activities that relate to career planning, professional development and CV-building.
Quick information storage Although writing notes by hand is good for learning and recall, apps such as Evernote can be great ‘scrapbooks’. Use for collecting into one place thoughts, images, documents, websites, PDFs, etc. in a visual, multi-format way. Use quick referencing apps
Use stationery as a time-tool
… such as Zotero and Mendeley (see page 114).
Use folders, dividers, highlighters and labels to find information at speed.
Use the right ‘time tools’ 21