Study Tips for the Busy Time Cruncher

As a stay-at-home mother, I know what it's like to be pressed for time. Despite the advances of online schooling, many are still finding themselves pressed for time when it comes to completing assignments and turning them in on time. This can result in poorly written, late work and failure to learn the material that can make or break your future career.

What is a busy college student to do?

First of all, take a deep breath, hold it for ten seconds, and then let it out. Don't stress about your assignments. Don't obsess over them either - both actions tend to make the assignment appear to be larger than it really is (and harder to accomplish for you). This often leads to procrastination because you just don't have the confidence in yourself to believe you can accomplish the task at hand.

Really think about the assignment. If you're having trouble understanding parts, try thinking about the parts you do understand. If you're having trouble understanding it at all, try to find small pieces you do understand and consider them.

Now that you have some idea of what you do know, start making a list. Use concise, short statements and headers. Organize your material by first writing down the main ideas and then listing supportive ideas underneath their corresponding main idea. For example, a quick write up of what you know on the five food groups might look like:

Grains

1. Bread - whole grain is healthiest;
2. 
   
3. Cereal - stay away from ones with a lot of sugar;
4. 
   
5. Pasta - avoid use of a lot of oil;

Fruits

1. citrus - full of vitamin C; lots of water
2. 
   
3. tropical -

Vegetables

Meat

Dairy

Note how the sections the author is unsure of are skipped over as the parts the author does know are recorded in an organized, categorized fashion. This will help you gather together what you do know and show areas where you need to do further research.

If after listing what you know and establishing which parts you need further research on, do exactly that - research. If you're having trouble understanding a subject from the text try researching it on the internet to find alternate perspectives (make sure to cross-reference it with your text to make sure the information itself matches up). When you find what you need, take notes - but put everything in your own words when applicable. This not only helps you guard against plagiarism but also makes you actually think (and then understand) the reading material before you put it down in writing.

If you're still having trouble with your assignment, take a break and do something productive that is enjoyable for you, then come back later and retrace your steps. You very well may find yourself easily progressing when you were originally stuck. Taking a break for some enjoyable and engaging activity not only helps to clear your mind (and remove your mental blocks) but also helps to give your mind a little "warm up" before taking up a task that requires a lot of thought or depth of thought.

This brings us to the final and most important thing you must do when trying to study - do it ahead of time. Even giving yourself an extra day can mean major change, as you are able to take your time more than you were before. So start on assignments early, and take your time. Really learn and enjoy and ponder the text. You just may find yourself gliding through instead of struggling through - a time manager instead of a time cruncher.