Creating & Using a Schedule

Below you will find options for:

• Creating a Daily Schedule
• Creating a Weekly Schedule
• Creating a Semester Schedule

Note: Students who have difficulty with mental and physical fatigue may want to discuss optimal course scheduling and a course plan for a reduced courseload with an academic advisor.

Considerations for Creating & Using a Schedule::

1. Set goals for your study:  Study sessions that are guided by goals are normally effective, such as reading 3 pages in 60 minutes, writing two paragraphs of that final essay, or answering 10 mock test questions as some examples.  However, if you find that you are not meeting your goals, don’t worry, that’s exactly what goal revision is about.
2. Set both short-term and annual long-term goals:  Short-term goals may include weekly or daily to-do’s and concerns the here and now.  Many short-term goals usually lead to long-term goals.  Long-term goals concern themselves with the future, such as completion of four courses, getting your first summer job etc…Most often students start with long-term goals and feel overwhelmed in trying to figure out how to get there.  A good way to remain relaxed, confident and calm is to break your long-term goals into smaller, manageable short-term goals.  Other benefits of goal setting include increased attention and focus, and increased motivation and effort. 
3. Keep a flexible study schedule:  Building flexibility into your schedule can assist with concentration, pain, fatigue, etc. Never become rigid when planning your study schedule, allow your schedule flexibility to allow for unforeseen events and circumstances (e.g., an increase in pain levels requiring a break).  However, remember that for every unforeseen circumstance that takes time away from studying, will have to be made up at some point during your study week to compensate for the time lost. It is therefore especially important to consider how you manage your good days where your disability impacts may be reduced if you may experience a bad day that week (e.g., an anticipated long day which may flare up symptoms such as pain or fatigue).
4. Study during your best time of day by considering how your disability may impact you throughout the day, It is important to study at times when you are most alert, and this will vary according to the individual.  Some students find early morning effective while other students find late night study sessions effective.  Find your time and use it effectively.  At the same time, it is important to remember sleep helps your body recover and repair, helps you stay more alert and focused and a proper sleep helps your ability to store information into memory.
5. Determine your attention span and take regular study breaks:  Work with your attention span and not against it.  Typical attention span lasts between twenty and forty minutes, therefore ten-minute breaks can help offset the onset of fatigue, distractibility, and study burnout
6. Having a visual representation (i.e. calendar) or an itemized list (i.e. monthly list) of all of your academic commitments will help you keep track of what you will need to focus on at different times of the school term while building in the necessary breaks. This will help you identify which weeks are busy and as a result, know when to prepare for stressful times, when to schedule medical appointments, identify a feasible course schedule to balance work, school and health and know when you might need to ask for extensions. 

There are many different ways to organize your schedule.  Explore how to create a semester schedule, weekly schedule, or daily schedule.