Read the article. Prepare a short talk for the rest of the class with strategies and suggestions to help students manage their time better.

What would you like to add?

· Interruptions – telephone, email and visitors

· Meetings

· Procrastination

· Lack of information or technical knowledge

· Lack of planning

· Stress

· Inability to say ‘No’

· Personal disorganization

 

Read the article. Prepare a short talk for the rest of the class with strategies and suggestions to help students manage their time better.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR STUDENTS

by Daria Bilokon

You have already finished high school and become a college or university student. The world seems to be yours and you are the best person to shape your destiny. Not that fast.

Although your educators say “Carpe diem” (meaning to grasp the chance you’ve got now) they expect heaps of things from you. How can you “carpe diem” when you have so much to learn? It’s a question each student cares about.

You have a Hamlet moment: to study or to party? Naturally, you want to spend a lot of time socializing and getting your party on, Now you have to be more than a decent student, pulling down those good grades. Some students have real troubles with time management and can’t manage their study schedule.

Time management techniques differ, and it’s up to you to choose the most appropriate one depending on your lifestyle. But definitely you need to know how to use your time.

Time management tips for students:

1 Focus on advantages

It’s easy to work if you actually like what you do. Absolutely any job has its pluses and minuses, so just concentrate on pluses. Draw a list of advantages you’ll gain after the work is done

Plan in advance

Plan your time well. Plan out which tasks you need to do. First thing each morning or sometimes the previous day deciding what you are going to do the following day. Follow your plan as closely as possible.

Prioritize

You can’t cope with all the tasks simultaneously, so define which of them are major and minor importance. When this numbered list is ready, either get down to finishing off less important things or postpone them to another day.

Don’t digress

Lots of things are going to distract your attention. And your task is say “stop” to them. Social media, phone, new messages – all these things steal time from you. It’s better to work first and then to have some messaging.

One more important thing is to focus on only one task. Don’t overload yourself with several assignments, concentrate on one of them – this way you will be able toworkmore effectively.

Have time for rest

Take small breaks between your tasks. First, your work-in-progress will be more creative if you’ve had some rest previously. And second, one way or another you need to relax and have a cup of coffee. Don’t forget to include short breaks in your daily plan.

Sleep enough

Yourconcentrationandproductivity directly depend on your sleep. Some people prefer to sleep less and work longer, relying on coffee and energy drinks to keep going. Soon their bodies and brain fall function well. It is best to avoid this trap. Your body needs 7-9 hours of sleep.

Use organizers

To become focused, one needs to effectively use organizers and timers. It’s easy enough to find the most suitable for you. Download calendars, notepads, time controllers or other stuff which you find good for your work.

Keep your deadline in mind

Markin your calendar or reminder exactly when you have to hand in a paper, article or assignment. This will give you extra time to check and proof-read. So aim for an earlier deadline

Time management skill is a precious thing. If you have it, you’ve gained a great advantage over your classmates, Thanks to the time management tips listed above you can develop it step by step and see result right away.

 

43 BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

Is student life all good?

Useful notes:

through rose-tinted spectacles – was seeing a situation as better than it really was

out of your comfort zone - being in a situation that you aren’t familiar with

and which makes you feel nervous

counselling – professional help with personal or psychological problems

homesick – missing your family and friends when you’re away from home

balancing act – where you try to give your attention to two or more things at the same time

budgeting – planning how much money you have and how you will spend it.

 

Neil said

1 I did feel comfortable / out of my comfort zone when I arrived.

2 I’m one of those men who is/ isn’t good at talking about their feelings.

3 I do think that university life can be more stressful / more enjoyable than people realize

4 Now I ’m quite good at budgeting/ I’m still pretty bad at that.

Alice said

5 The survey, completed by over one hundred/ thousand students, also found that almost 50%/ 70% of those that suffer from stress do so at least once/ twice a week, and 19%/ 9% feel stressed constantly. Stressed means anxious and worried.

Kirsty McMurron, student at Exeter University, said

6 When I first got to university I’d quickly realized that I’d forgotten how to cook/

to make friends.

7 I was trying to balance social success with academic success/ with my work

8 Dr Ruth Caleb, Head of the counseling service at Brunel University, said

Certain things that I think would be very helpful for students to have put in place are

an ability to do practical things of life – to do the washing / to do their homework and so on,

being able to cook/ being able to drive a car.

 

Work in small groups.

Donny Wong, studied at MIT

I was no stranger to working hard and working late when I was in high school, and it was common to stay up until 1 a.m. But at MIT, this type of study habit was not only typical of most students but glorified. It was a regular thing to pull an ‘all-nighter’ at least once or twice a week when problem sets were due. And rarely were you alone in working strange hours to complete assignments. The common study areas in the dorms always had clusters of students working late on problem sets together, and indeed the student center was open 24 hours, and you could always find food, coffee or a place to take a nap if you needed one.

But this taught me at the end, bad habits notwithstanding, is to do what it takes to get things done, no matter the personal sacrifice required. And I think this type of sentiment is something that most MIT students would share after they leave the university no matter where they end up.

 

Study the idioms.

 

IDIOMS with time

time’s up an activity is finished

at a time during any one period

time flies a certain period has passed surprisingly quickly

time will tell you will discover in the future what the result of a present situation is

time after time again and again, repeatedly

time and (time) again very often

 

Complete the sentences with the correct idiom.

1 OK, everyone, _____________ – hand in your tests.

2 ____________ whether we made the right decision

3 We’ve been hearing the same news story _________

4 _______ when you are having fun

5 I can only do one thing _________

6 I’ve told you time ___________ to lock both doors before you leave.

 

55 Match stages of procrastination 1-6 with students’ phrases a)-e)

 

1 false security a) May be I should get a head start

2 laziness b ) I’m busy right now.(Just taking a short break)

3 excuses c) I’ll never procrastinate agaaain!

4 denial d) It isn’t due for a while. (I’ll relax for now)

5 crisis e) I still have time. I don’t need sleep

6 repeat

Read and enjoy the jokes.

- I bought a nice calendar last night. This calendar has 8 days a week, 5 weeks a month, and 13

months a year.

- Where did you get it?

- Trust me… I bought it at the Time Management Seminar.

***

- Who did you talk with?

- The time management consultant called.

- What did he say?

- He will be a little late for the meeting with the staff.

 

What would you like to add?

· Interruptions – telephone, email and visitors

· Meetings

· Procrastination

· Lack of information or technical knowledge

· Lack of planning

· Stress

· Inability to say ‘No’

· Personal disorganization

 

Read the article. Prepare a short talk for the rest of the class with strategies and suggestions to help students manage their time better.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR STUDENTS

by Daria Bilokon

You have already finished high school and become a college or university student. The world seems to be yours and you are the best person to shape your destiny. Not that fast.

Although your educators say “Carpe diem” (meaning to grasp the chance you’ve got now) they expect heaps of things from you. How can you “carpe diem” when you have so much to learn? It’s a question each student cares about.

You have a Hamlet moment: to study or to party? Naturally, you want to spend a lot of time socializing and getting your party on, Now you have to be more than a decent student, pulling down those good grades. Some students have real troubles with time management and can’t manage their study schedule.

Time management techniques differ, and it’s up to you to choose the most appropriate one depending on your lifestyle. But definitely you need to know how to use your time.

Time management tips for students:

1 Focus on advantages

It’s easy to work if you actually like what you do. Absolutely any job has its pluses and minuses, so just concentrate on pluses. Draw a list of advantages you’ll gain after the work is done

Plan in advance

Plan your time well. Plan out which tasks you need to do. First thing each morning or sometimes the previous day deciding what you are going to do the following day. Follow your plan as closely as possible.

Prioritize

You can’t cope with all the tasks simultaneously, so define which of them are major and minor importance. When this numbered list is ready, either get down to finishing off less important things or postpone them to another day.

Don’t digress

Lots of things are going to distract your attention. And your task is say “stop” to them. Social media, phone, new messages – all these things steal time from you. It’s better to work first and then to have some messaging.

One more important thing is to focus on only one task. Don’t overload yourself with several assignments, concentrate on one of them – this way you will be able toworkmore effectively.

Have time for rest

Take small breaks between your tasks. First, your work-in-progress will be more creative if you’ve had some rest previously. And second, one way or another you need to relax and have a cup of coffee. Don’t forget to include short breaks in your daily plan.

Sleep enough

Yourconcentrationandproductivity directly depend on your sleep. Some people prefer to sleep less and work longer, relying on coffee and energy drinks to keep going. Soon their bodies and brain fall function well. It is best to avoid this trap. Your body needs 7-9 hours of sleep.

Use organizers

To become focused, one needs to effectively use organizers and timers. It’s easy enough to find the most suitable for you. Download calendars, notepads, time controllers or other stuff which you find good for your work.

Keep your deadline in mind

Markin your calendar or reminder exactly when you have to hand in a paper, article or assignment. This will give you extra time to check and proof-read. So aim for an earlier deadline

Time management skill is a precious thing. If you have it, you’ve gained a great advantage over your classmates, Thanks to the time management tips listed above you can develop it step by step and see result right away.

 

43 BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

Is student life all good?

Useful notes:

through rose-tinted spectacles – was seeing a situation as better than it really was

out of your comfort zone - being in a situation that you aren’t familiar with

and which makes you feel nervous

counselling – professional help with personal or psychological problems

homesick – missing your family and friends when you’re away from home

balancing act – where you try to give your attention to two or more things at the same time

budgeting – planning how much money you have and how you will spend it.