Fixed Commitment calendar

Managing your time effectively is crucial to your success. For students transitioning from high school to college, one of the most difficult things to do is schedule study time. In high school, you spent more time in class than you do now that you are in college. In college, it is up to you to make sure you are studying as much as you need to.

Successful students report that they spend 2-3 hours outside of class studying for each hour they’re in class. This means that students taking 15 semester hours need to spend at least 30 hours studying outside of class. The best way to ensure that you’re not wasting time and studying sufficiently is to make a schedule that you commit to keeping. To do so, you might consider using a fixed-commitment calendar (FCC).  

Directions

A fixed-commitment calendar provides you with an opportunity to set a schedule using one-hour blocks of time, filling in all 168 hours in a week.  

• Start by scheduling in your class times, including labs. If possible, schedule preview and review time (5-30 minutes) before and after each class. Before class, look over both your notes from the previous class meeting and what you are scheduled to cover in the upcoming class. After class, summarize what happened in class, edit your notes, look over any assignments that were given, and/or write down any questions you have for your instructor.

• Fill in any other commitments you have, such as work, organization meetings, etc.

• Add time for normal chores or routines, such as showering, doing laundry, cleaning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, exercise, etc.

• Schedule study time, keeping in mind that you want 2-3 hours of studying for every one hour spent in class. Try to keep your study blocks to no more than 2 hours at a time. Ideally, you make time to study for each class, every day. You might also designate where you’ll study, such as the library, MSC, coffee shop, or a lounge area.

• Schedule time for sleep. Eight hours per day, being consistent in the times you fall asleep and wake up, is ideal. You might give yourself the opportunity to stay up and sleep a little later on weekends, but don’t stay up until 3am and sleep until noon if you go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 7am during the week. Your brain prefers a sleep routine.

• Make time for downtime, socializing, and exercise. These are important but, like sleeping, don’t go crazy. While it might be nice to veg out and watch 3 hours of television in the middle of the week, is it going to help you succeed academically? Probably not. Give yourself an hour or so of down time each day, along with brief breaks to call, email, or text family and friends.  

• Multitask! Eat with friends so that you socialize then. Save your bigger blocks of down time for the weekend, rewarding yourself for sticking to your class and study schedule during the week. Weekends are for studying, too, however.

Using every day to study helps you stay on top of your coursework—and have a life! Remember, the idea is not necessarily to be perfect, but to minimize wasted time.