YOU DONT HAVE TO BE BRILLIANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL

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YOU DONT HAVE TO BE BRILLIANT TO BE
SUCCESSFUL

• YOU DO HAVE TO

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ORGANISE YOURSELF AND YOUR TIME

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Whats this session about?

• Its a chance to
• think about and discuss the way you manage and
  organise your time
• share practical strategies to help you maintain a
  balance between work, rest free time.

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Discuss the following questions in pairs

• How do you think
• (a) organising yourself and your time may be
  more of a challenge now youre at university?
• (b) you can maintain a healthy balance?

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Q1 How do you think organising yourself and your
time may be more of a challenge now youre at
university?

• Theres no-one to tell me when to come home at
  night/what to do/support me
• I have to make time to do my own
  shopping/cooking/cleaning
• Ill have to learn how to cook
• I have to manage my finances
• There are so many more distractions
• My timetable wont be as full as it was at school
  it might be hard to motivate myself
• I know I have to work but no-ones there to tell
  me and the deadlines are so far away
• The new experience is a bit of a shock I feel a
  bit stunned/lost/homesick

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Q2 How do you think you can maintain a healthy
balance?

• Clearly differentiate between work /study and
  leisure time/space
• Vary my activities
• Set realistic goals so I dont try to do the
  impossible
• Get a terms overview of my workload (free time
  planner available in Freshers Week)
• Share concerns with friends, family or student
  support
• Accept that I cant do everything.
• Keep up with my weekly tasks
• Go to lectures and seminars (downloading a
  PowerPoint is no substitute)
• Share study tasks and feedback
• Buy a diary and use it
• Have regular routines, meals, exercise
• Use My Place (VLE) to help reflect on my
  experience rather than just get carried along by
  it

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Q3 Establishing routines in your general life
will have an impact on the way you manage your
study. On a scale of 1-4, estimate your ability
to

• Identify targets
• Estimate how long work will take and plan ahead
• Prioritise
• Reduce time wasters
• Meet deadlines
• Have a well organised work space
• Have an easy to use filing/recording system
• (1 poor, 4 excellent)

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Q4. So, if youre not happy with your score lets
look at some practical things you can do to help
yourself
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Identify targets

• What sort of degree do I want?
• Whats realistic given my other commitments?
• How do I want to spend my time at university?
• Do I need to do part-time work? How much?

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Estimate how long work will take and plan ahead

• How many assignments do I have to submit?
• What type of assignment is it? (essay, report,
  review, group task)
• What else have I got to do besides academic work?
  
• How will I keep track of everything I have to do?

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Prioritise

• Should I try to do one thing at a time?
• Is it better to work on a couple of assignments
  at the same time?
• What (parts of) assignments can I start early
  then leave to one side?

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Reduce time wasters

• That extra cup of coffee
• The ironing/washing that just has to be done now
• The phone call/text/email I just have to make
• The unplanned night out that I just cant miss
• (instead use these as rewards after youve
  worked)

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Meet deadlines

• Do I know when they are and have I got a list of
  them in order?
• Whats the system in the department?
• Whats the penalty for late submission?
• Do I know what to do if Im ill?

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Have a well organised work space

• What works for me?
• Do I like to work alone or with others around me?
• What time of day or night is best for me?
• When is the best time to read/write?
• Am I happy to work in a cluttered/uncluttered
  space?
• Can I separate my workspace from my relaxation
  space at a certain point in the day/week?

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Have an easy to use filing/recording system

• What were my previous methods and am I happy with
  them? If not, what do I plan to try out?
• How can I learn from others?
• Have I bought files/folders for my current
  courses?
• What systems are available on the net? (e.g.
  Endnote)
• Have I sorted out my intro week material yet?

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REMEMBER, YOU DONT HAVE TO BE BRILLIANT TO BE
SUCCESSFUL YOU DO HAVE TO ORGANISE YOURSELF AND
YOUR TIME