Maximize Concentration with Good Time Management

Maximize Concentration with Good Time Management

Taken from聽Succeeding in College: Study Skills and Strategies,听辫辫.163-166

Divide daily study time into blocks of 鈥淎鈥,鈥滲鈥, or 鈥淐鈥.

A Blocks:

Maximum concentration time 鈥 time needed for intense studying 鈥 best in the morning (even if you think you work best at night).聽 Utilize the hour between classes to head to the library to complete a good 45 minutes of intense studying or get up an hour or two earlier (which means getting to bed sooner).聽 鈥淎鈥 blocks of time are appropriate for High-concentration tasks and are best done in a quiet setting such as the library.聽 Since this time is limited in your schedule, you should reserve this for difficult assignments and studying complex information.

B Blocks:

Time reserved for less demanding tasks 鈥 review and completion of routine assignments, such as rewriting lecture notes, reviewing study sheets, etc. This can be done in a 鈥渘oisier鈥 environment such as the lounge, your room, or with a study group.

C Blocks:

Utilize the odd moments of time (time standing in line, the 10 minutes in between classes, waiting for the laundry to finish drying) for repetition and reinforcement 鈥 use of flash cards or rereading study sheets you have already reviewed 3 or 4 times or reviewing a chapter you have already studied.

Note Reduction

Using the A, B, C Blocking Technique

Reduce the amount of content to be learned by identifying its importance. Categorize聽A,听叠听辞谤听C.

A: information that is very important

B: information that is less important but would be helpful as filler and support information

C: unimportant information鈥 information known or only of small importance

Concentrate on the 鈥淎鈥 material during 鈥淎鈥 Blocks of study time, etc