PLANNING
Organization is essential when tackling any kind of work, be it studying or any other different kind.
The goal when you plan is to maximize the time that you have, and to profit from it as much as you can. At the same time, you can learn your true limits and capacities.
The goals of planning are:
- To create the habit of studying.
- To learn to plan your work.
- To work regularly, not sporadically.
- To save time and effort.
- To avoid being in a rush.
- Visualize, control, and evaluate how you study.
If planning is to be efficient, it should be:
- Personal, having in mind:
– Capacities and aptitudes.
– Interests.
– Difficulty in the subject. – Pace of work.
– Habits. - Realistic.
- Flexible.
Planning should be done:
- In long term (semester, year).
- In short term (weekly).
- Planning a study sessions.
Long term planning
In this planning, you have to consider key dates, such as exam dates, due dates for essays, and other works, academic or not.
Short term planning
It can be done as a schedule, or on a calendar.
It should include the time spent on:
- Academic activities (classes, conferences, etc.)
- Personal study sessions.
- Social appointments.
- Leisure activities (sports, etc.).
- Short period used for self-evaluation.
In the space for self-evaluation, you can write down the reasons why you couldn’t finish the objectives you had set for the period of time. Recognizing them helps find a solution for them.
To learn how to plan, you should start by setting times and study goals that you are certain you can achieve, and increase them progressively as days go by.
RULES TO SET YOUR OWN GOALS
Rule nº1: the goal should be expressed in positive terms. Negativity doesn’t translate well into imagination.
Rule nº2: the goal should be expressed in objective terms. They should be precise, identifiable, and quantifiable goals.
Rule nº3: the goal should be attainable according to your own flexible capacities.
Rule nº4: the goal should be acceptable, morally and ethically, by others and by yourself.
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