The Martlet

Yes, it’s that time again. The first few weeks of classes are over and things are starting to heat up across campus. Soon we will all be hip-deep in assignments and deadlines. On top of that, many of us are working part-time jobs to pay tuition. With all of this on our plates, how can we stay ahead of (or even keep up with) our workloads?

Dr. Joe Parsons from UVic’s Counselling Services has been running the Learning Skills program for 28 years. He has found that each program has specific learning skills related to it — for example, the sciences usually have a lot of kinesthetic (hands-on) learning involved.

“Identify your strengths and weaknesses [in learning skills] and then work on developing the weaknesses,” said Parsons. “You can systematically experiment with different strategies and find out early in your career what works for you.”

This is an important step to progressive learning because it allows you to be efficient and absorb the most information while wasting the least amount of time.

Some students take the concept a step further and apply their learning skills to their organizational strategy. Take the time to discover what type of organizing strategy works best for you. Colour codes, binders, paper or electronic schedules — there are loads of options. It’s easier to fit your organization into your lifestyle rather than forcing yourself to adapt to an entirely new regime.

“Finding ways to organize that work for you will help you use your time more efficiently and may even be more enjoyable,” said Miryam Burns, a third-year UVic student who balances her time between work, class and clubs.

Of course, if you don’t have an organization method at all, it might be time to pick up some tips from your friends or favourite magazines. Once you have something in place, stick with it until it becomes a habit. It’s okay to tweak your system here and there, but giving up completely won’t solve anything.

“Sixteen per cent of students who come to Counselling Services indicate concern with time management and procrastination,” said Parsons. Technology and the Internet have given us the ability to procrastinate more efficiently than ever, but staying on track is possible.

Here are some hints to get you started:

1) Use an agenda. We’ve been hearing this since elementary school, but the plain truth is that it is easier to remember things if we write them down. But the tech-savvy student doesn’t have to rely on the archaic paper version. Cell phones and iPods often have schedule programs and alarms to let us know when a due date or meeting is coming up. On top of that, we’re less likely to lose our phones than a piece of paper or spiral-bound book.

2) If you have a spare hour, or even just a few minutes, do an extra reading. Yes, you would probably rather spend the time on Facebook or watching TV, but once you’re ahead in your work the pressure comes off. It’s a lot easier to enjoy yourself without the stress of deadlines hanging over you.

3) If you are settling in for a good long study session, switch up your readings with chores every half-hour or so. Physical movement get the blood flowing again, and your place will be clean afterward — a bonus for the time-pressured student.

Counselling Services is located in the Campus Services Building next to the Bookstore. They are open to all students, Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.