Planning your time
Once you have identified what is required in an assignment you can then start the process of planning. Planning will need to take into account time as well as the content of the assignment.
Time management hints and tips:
Work backwards - see when the assignment is due and then work backwards and see how many weeks you have to complete.
Map out the submission dates for all your assignments as soon as you have been given them. This will help you manage multiple deadlines.
Use a calendar - it doesn't matter if it is on paper or online but also add in any other commitments you have. These could include university timetable, work, volunteering or sports clubs.
Don't be afraid to also add in time off such as a film night with friends. Relaxation is key to wellbeing and time away from study can help you to be more focussed when you come back to it.
Now that you are able to see the time you have available to work on your assignments you can start mapping the detail of planning your assignment. Think of all the elements you need to complete an assignment e.g. writing up lecture notes, searching the library catalogue, reading the literature, planning the content, writing the first 100 words, completing the first 1000, completing the first draft etc. Be as specific as possible and add them to your calendar. Timetabling your workload like this helps to make your assignment planning more business like and helps you to stay on track.
In an ideal world we would say 'stick to the plan' but we know things can happen: you get extra shifts at work or a heavy cold can prevent you from doing more than watching day-time television. This is fine - you will be able to see easily from your excellent mapping on your calendar what bits you need to catch up on and rearrange your schedule to fit them in. If time is tight you might need to miss the two hour film and watch a 30 min sitcom instead.