A roadmap is a convenient and inexpensive tool that helps you keep track of the time you need to devote to studying. It allows you to realize the tasks and goals you need to achieve and how much time you have available to do it. If you want to always be organized and feel motivated, so as to complete your work in the best possible way, try to develop a personalized roadmap for the study.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Setting up a Schedule
Step 1. Make a list of your duties
You need to think about all of your responsibilities and write them down properly on a list. If you do this before planning a schedule, developing a roadmap will be easier.
- You must take into consideration the lessons you have to follow, your job, housework, sport, physical exercise and everything that occupies you on a regular basis during the periods in which you study.
- Don't forget birthdays and major holidays.
- You will probably not be able to remember all your commitments, but no problem, you can add them later.
Step 2. Gather all the information about the lessons and assignments you need to present
This means retrieving your entire study plan, any homework or projects you need to submit, and checking the school website to make sure there are online courses you need to follow (for example, management or Blackboard courses).
Step 3. Evaluate the best moments to devote to study
Take some time to figure out when you are (or would be) able to study best. Are you generally very active in the morning or do you give your best in the evening? Thinking about these details will help you plan your study when you are most focused.
When doing this step, don't think about all your other commitments (like work or sport); just write down what your maximum yield peaks are as if you have no other activities to do
Step 4. Decide on the format of the roadmap
You can draw it on a sheet of paper or develop a digital one on a spreadsheet or smartphone application.
- Calculation programs such as Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers offer many solutions. Additionally, word processing programs also provide templates for what you are trying to develop.
- You can also rely on an online solution. Among the most popular web interfaces we mention My Study Life.
- However, even if you access the internet often or have the ability to use your mobile phone, know that a “physical” paper roadmap may still be the best solution. This is useful if you are not allowed to bring electronic devices to class.
- Both paper and digital models have their own advantages. The digital one is easy to organize and modify extensively, while the paper one lends itself more to small corrections and you can always carry it with you. The paper version is easier (and more fun) to color and customize.
- You can also evaluate a combination of paper and digital programming: use your computer to create a pre-arranged table with days and hours, and then print many copies (based on the number of weeks you want to organize) and complete them by hand.
Step 5. Draw a table
A roadmap should be a grid with different "dates" and "times", with the days of the week at the top (columns) and the times that develop vertically (rows).
- If you are hand drawing a table on paper, you will need to draw the grid. You can use a normal sheet of notebook or the white one from a printer. Draw the lines with the help of a ruler to get an ordered result.
- The major limitation of hand-drawn programming on a sheet of paper is the difficulty of making many changes in the future. Even if you write everything in pencil, it may be difficult to perfectly box the numbers in rows and columns. Also, you will need several pages, at least one for each month, and you will have to repeat this step every time.
Part 2 of 3: Compiling a Program
Step 1. Choose a customizable or constant table template
For example, you can decide that your schedule is always the same for each week. Or you can create a custom one that adapts to the changes of each specific week. You should develop all the custom tables at the same time.
- If you plan to use an editable template, think the other way around. Start identifying the tasks you have to submit and the dates of the final exams and develop the organization backwards. Your study plan will change according to the important deadlines that are approaching.
- Don't forget to write down all the tasks you wrote earlier in the list. You should put them in the table before the study moments. Remember to add any commitments you need to honor consistently, such as sports workouts. You must proceed in this way so as to identify the "free time" for the study.
- If you are organizing a customizable agenda, don't forget to include exceptional events, such as birthdays and holidays.
Step 2. Organize the study moments in “blocks”
Try to set aside long periods of study, such as 2-4 consecutive hours. In this way you will be more prepared for the task, more concentrated and certainly more productive.
- Just because you don't have a very long time frame doesn't mean you can't dedicate it to studying. If you find it useful to include 45 minutes of study in one time slot and 60 in another, there is no reason why you shouldn't.
- For particularly demanding subjects, you should allow for more study hours.
Step 3. Don't forget the breaks
They are key to being successful in school. You are not an automaton and you cannot work tirelessly for hours. You will perform much better if you schedule regular breaks during your study.
Many experts recommend studying every hour for 45 consecutive minutes, taking a 15 minute break. However, each individual is different, so experiment until you find the right pace for you
Step 4. Be very detailed
Do you remember that you collected all the information regarding the study plan and homework? Now is the time to use this information. Plan the study blocks for each specific subject, write down all the assignments you have to submit and organize the times in order to complete them.
- Things can change over time, and a program can be perfect for two months and then need to be changed. Don't let this stop you - consider the roadmap as a useful guide, something to help you stay on track and break down the big, challenging tasks into small study sessions.
- If you have a certain amount of homework for a subject each week, it could be a great addition to your schedule. If, for example, you always have 20 math problems to solve each week, then you can break them down in your diary.
Step 5. Organize multiple subjects in each session
Working on multiple topics during a single study session helps you not to "go crazy" on a single subject and not to run out of energy before tackling other tasks.
Of course, this can change when an exam is coming up and you need to focus all your energy on one topic
Step 6. Make the schedule look good too
You can use color codes based on the subjects and responsibilities you have to comply with: in this way you will have an easier tool to consult, even at first sight. You will have to look at it very often, so customize it!
If you are planning on paper, use colored pencils. Alternatively, highlight various digital programming commitments on your computer and then print it out in color. If you have opted for an online application, then it may already be color-coded with predefined colors, although some degree of customization is always allowed
Part 3 of 3: Stick to a Schedule
Step 1. Stick to the schedule
It will take some time to get used to using the schedule correctly, but don't give up. Once it becomes an integral part of your routine, you will find that it will be of great help!
Step 2. Don't stress yourself out
Don't feel compelled to always stick to the schedule down to the second! It is a system to give you some help at school, use it to help you stay organized, but don't get anxious if you can't follow it perfectly.
Step 3. Review the roadmap
Check what works and what doesn't; if you notice any imperfections, make some changes! You have already worked hard to develop a good organization; there is no need to throw it away, if only a few corrections are enough to make it work better.
Advice
- If starting in reverse and developing a custom table that changes every week seems too complicated for now, then you can stick to simpler standard programming. Even if it doesn't change from week to week, it is extremely useful to have a timetable.
- Do some research online to find programming templates that you can download for free. Try using Flickr or Pinterest as well.
