I started college at 28 years old. I worked full-time, with a family to take care of and a home to upkeep, and it felt like ‘spare time’ was this nonexistent myth that you saw in movies, but never got to experience for yourself. My first year, I made excellent grades and established a routine that worked for me because it was SO simple. Look, I need simple in my life. My mind is constantly racing and it’s hard to compartmentalize all the things that I have going on, especially during the height of exams, work-grind, baseball season, and birthday parties. If I don’t have something easy, linear, and full-proof when it comes to studying and staying on schedule, I will lose my mind.
Here are the main ways I keep up a simple college routine and stay on schedule.
You Need a Planner
A planner is a must have, and I suggest you get one just for college. It doesn’t have to be fancy, or expensive (I bought mine for about $7 at Walmart while school-supply shopping).
Here’s a link to a great article in Psychology Today on why you should use a daily planner.
I like to write my course subjects in the notes margin next to the monthly calendar view. Then, I color-code each course with a pastel highlighter. In the photo above, you can see that in the month of February, I completed my Sociology course (green), and I began two other courses: American History II (blue), and Publish and Thrive (pink). For each day, I’ll write down what I need to get done that day. For example, on Valentine’s Day I only worked on my history course, Module 2, and highlighted it blue. The next day, I worked on history and my publishing course, and color-coded them accordingly. It’s just a really simple way for me to keep up with my modules, and a good visual reminder if I’m spending more time on one thing than the other. I also write down when my course deadline is, so that I know when I need to catch up, if I’m running behind, etc…, which brings me to my next tip: a Self-Pace Chart.
Self-Pace Chart or Syllabus
So, I’m in an online school, and most of my courses are self-paced by choice. On the off-chance that I’m in an Instructor-Led course, I’ll print out the syllabus and use that to keep up with weekly deadlines. You can use this to write in your planner, which in a way is easy, because it’s already planned out for you!
However, for those of us that are living the self-paced life and need to manually get our crap together, look on your course modules and see if your college has the Self-Pace Chart Generator. If it does, you would put in your start date and your end date, and it will generate your course for you. I’m a little bit extra. I like to put my end date an entire week EARLY, and it will give me a bit more to do each week. That way, when I get behind (because I always, always get behind), I have a week grace period, and it’s excellent for catching up.
Above is an example of my self-paced chart. I write down the days next to the modules on the left for a better idea of what module needs to be done on which day. As you can see, I’m a week behind. I’ve highlighted the date at the left, but you can see from the top that I’ve only completed two modules. This shows me that I need to get my butt in gear and really focus on catching up on those last three modules.
A Notebook or Binder
For my history module, I write notes on a simple notebook. There are no written assignments, and it’s easier for me to keep all my notes together when I do my quizzes. The way that I organize my notebook is the module, the chapters that need to be read, followed by the chapters key terms, in alphabetical order. The alphabetical order is KEY, I tell you, because when I’m doing an open-book and open-notes test, I don’t need to be scrambling to find some long-forgotten key term in the pages of notes I’ve taken. It’s right there waiting for me, in alphabetical order, and my future, test-panicked-self thanks me for it.
I also label my notes by their topic headings, which is huge when you’re not quite sure where the answer is, but you can definitely narrow it down by the section it’s most likely in (ex. The question could be about where the Pullman Strike took place. You may not know what page it’s on, but you can definitely find it in the heading you’ve already conveniently labeled ‘Pullman Car Palace Company’).
Utilize Them Into Your Routine
Now that you have your three simple things–your planner, your self-pace chart, and your notebook or binder–you can now establish your routine. Whether you’re a morning-routine person or an evening-routine person, the steps are basically the same. I follow the same order that I did when I worked full-time, to the part-time work that I do now.
Step 1: Look at your self-pace chart or syllabus. Are you on track? If you are, then follow the natural order that is labeled for you. If not, you might need to get some cramming of your study-time in.
Step 2: Write what module/chapter you need to work on that day. I don’t highlight what I write until I’ve actually completed it. If I didn’t complete it, I leave it alone and rewrite the same module the next day.
Step 3: Write your notes (or your assignment) in the simple way I described above. Some people like to make flashcards and print study guides online, and if that helps you, cool. Unfortunately for me, I get a bit overwhelmed with all the clutter and keeping up with everything, particularly duding proctored tests and exams. I need it simple.
Step 4: Repeat over and over until you have graduated college! Haha! Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later.
I hope this helps. If you try this out, and it’s too simple for you, don’t fret. Some people study differently, thrive better with different routines, it truly depends. But if you’re like me, and you get too overwhelmed and fraught with a complex routine and system, this college schedule may suit you quite nicely.
Comment your routine and what works for you down below, I’d love to see how others study!
-Tanya
