How to Study

And Keep in Mind…
Besides the importance of the task and the available time you have to
complete it, other factors will determine how you fit everything you
have to do into the time available. Some factors will be beyond your
control—your work schedule, appointments with professors, coun-
selors, or doctors. But there are plenty of factors you do control and
should consider as you put together your calendar each week.
Schedule enough time for each task—time to “warm up” and get 
the task accomplished, but, particularly when working on long-term
projects, not so much time that you “burn out.” Every individual is
different, but most students study best in blocks of 30–45 minutes,
depending on the subject.
Don’t overdo it. Plan your study time in blocks, breaking up work time
with short leisure activities. (It’s helpful to add these to your sched-
ule as well.) For example, you’ve set aside three hours on Wednesday
afternoon for that research assignment. Schedule a 15-minute walk
to the ice cream shop somewhere in the middle of that study block.
You’ll find that these breaks help you think more clearly and creatively
when you get back to studying.
Even if you tend to like longer blocks of study time, be careful about
scheduling study “marathons”—a six- or eight-hour stretch rather
than a series of one- or two-hour sessions. The longer the period 
you schedule, the more likely you’ll have to fight the demons of 
procrastination and daydreaming. Convincing yourself that you are
How to Study
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really studying your heart out, you’ll also find it easier to justify 
time-wasting distractions, scheduling longer breaks, and, before long,
quitting before you should.
Finally, remember Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands so as to fill the
time available for its completion.” In other words, if you fail to sched-
ule a one-hour block for a project that should take an hour, you will
probably be surprised to find (eureka!) that it somehow takes two or
three!
Strategy tip: Get into the habit of getting ready for the next day before
you go to bed the night before. Believe me, it’s an absolutely fantas-
tic feeling to start the day completely organized…especially if you
oversleep!