Sujud Shuman

Students in a virtual environment are bound to have different methods of studying and managing their time than students attending a typical brick-and-mortar school do. In this article, I aim to uncover the secrets to staying on task, studying hard, and beating the stubborn effects of procrastination. 

Methods in Time Management

I interviewed two students of differing ages and grade levels, asking their preferred methods. Ayah Shuman, a student in eighth grade, says she prefers using a planner. Planners are a relatively common method used by students to track their activities. Ayah prefers using a weekly planner and filling in all she has to do for each day at the beginning of every month. This helps her keep track of everything in advance, that way she doesn’t have to worry about anything later on. She also says she likes to use a to-do list, listing things in order of importance and completing each daily task accordingly.

While both these methods are reliable, they may not work for everyone. There are many other strategies out there for students to use. Junior Rama Hammoudeh uses a different method than Ayah. To keep up with her busy schedule, Rama uses a bullet journal. Having used this method during junior year myself, I can attest to its reliability. Bullet journaling is similar to a planner, except with more flexibility because you have the opportunity to structure your schedule yourself. However, this can be time-consuming. Instead of taking a long time every month to create a set structure, Rama prefers a different strategy. “I’ll fill it in the night before, so I know what I have to do the next day, and I’ll write everything down with a timestamp,” Rama explained. By filling in her journal nightly, she is efficient in her time and acknowledges that every day is different with a different structure needed. Sometimes she needs a more in-depth plan, and other times a simple list will suffice. She also allows herself a certain amount of time for each activity. This helps her maintain a set amount of time out of her day dedicated to school while still ensuring a healthy school-life balance. 

Study Methods

Study methods and time management go hand and hand. Good time management skills lead to better study habits. Rama says she prefers structure and planning in her favored method of study. Using her time management skills mentioned above, Rama allows a certain amount of time for each assignment saying, “For example, if I set a timestamp for 45 minutes, I’ll work for 45 minutes and then take a break and do something else before returning to my work.” She says this helps her avoid procrastination and burnout. When taking notes, Rama likes to write what she feels she’ll need to focus on later and highlights keywords and ideas. This helps her focus on the information she’ll need to study later instead of sifting through a ton of notes before finding what she needs most.

Ayah also uses note-taking as her preferred method. She says she follows her planner and does all of her work for the day starting with those she considers easiest and working her way toward the harder assignments. With the classes she considers easier, she may only take notes to review later, highlighting the important information as she goes along. However, for classes she struggles with, she uses index cards to commit certain concepts to memory in addition to the notes she already takes. Studying the important definitions and concepts, helps her prepare for her exams, including important ones like STAAR. 

Conclusion

After hearing the different techniques used by these students, you may be wondering, “How do I know which is the best one?” Upon analyzing their methods and comparing them to mine, I realized that there is no one way to study or manage our time. While I can’t share one absolute answer, I will give my advice. Take inspiration from others (like the methods discussed in this article), analyze your schedule, and see what aspects of other strategies would most adequately accommodate everything you need to do in your day. It is important to maintain a good school-life balance in order to avoid stress. Doing this will help you put forth your best work. Every student is different, and what works for one individual may not work for another. Our school offers great opportunities to help aid in accommodating busy schedules. If you ever feel that you need a little extra help, reach out to your parents, classmates, and most importantly your pride teachers, because they’re always there to help!