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[TUTORIAL] How to create a killer study timetable

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evandowsett:
Hey guys, I run a tutoring agency and get asked a lot by our students about how to create an awesome study timetable, so thought I'd share my knowledge on that topic with you. The most important part about creating a timetable is to recognise that you have a LOT of hours in the week that you can use for not only study but work, sport, video games etc. It's really important to balance your time.

Did you know?? You have 168 hours in a week.

Firstly, it’s important to understand how essential it is to break your time up into sections. If you break this down, there is SO much time to do what you want and accomplish all your goals. Check out the table below for an example of your timing each day assuming that you play sport, have a part time job, watch 2 hours of TV every day, hang out with friends for 2 hours per day and sleep for 8 hours each night.

Here's an example of how you might spend your time each week:


This leaves 26 hours in a week! Still think you don’t have enough time to study? You could study for 20 hours a week, and STILL have 6 hours left in a week to do whatever else you need to do. I guarantee you, 20 hours of studying every week would be more than what 95% of students in the whole of Victoria are doing. I’m not saying you need to study for 20 hours because this all depends on what your goals are for Year 12. However, if your goal is to achieve an ATAR of 95, this is what you should do.

Now that we know it’s possible to make time for study, let’s create that timetable!

Step 1: Get clear about your goals.

It’s important to get clear about what you want out of Year 12 before figuring out how to create a study timetable. The easiest way to map out your goals is this:


* Know where you are now
* Discover where you want to go
* Ask yourself why you want to be there
* Work out a strategy for getting there
Once you’ve filled in this sheet, you’ll be able to work out how many hours of study you feel is necessary. I believe that most Year 12 students should be doing at least a minimum of 10 hours of study per week. If you want to achieve an ATAR above 90, I would recommend doing about 20 hours per week.

Step 2: Figure out your “Big Rocks” and “Small Rocks”.

Secondly, list out your “Big Rocks” which you’ll insert into your schedule first. This includes the things you must do each week – school, work, gym, sport etc. Place these into your study schedule. Don’t worry if you have a changing work or sport schedule, simply put in a regular time and if you need to swap things around based on each week’s schedule then do that!

Thirdly, you’ll need to put in your “Small Rocks”. These include your favourite Netflix shows, hanging out with friends and parties. It’s very important to schedule down-time and social time. If you’re always studying and have no time to chill, your body and brain will shut down on you quite quickly.

Step 3: Schedule study time!

Lastly, it’s time to schedule your study time. The reason we put everything else in first is so that we can place an importance on your down-time like I mentioned before. If you know that you need to stop studying at a certain time to relax, that gives you a reason to keep studying and finish things until you know you can chill.

In saying that, if you get to your chill time and you want to keep studying, keep going you champ! Here’s an example of a crazy-cool timetable one of our Year 12 students has recently created. He’s managed to fit 17 hours of study in per week around parties, work, basketball, and gaming. He’s loving it and finding it amazingly easy to stick to!


Step 4: Stick to your timetable. Find someone to hold you accountable.

Who can hold you accountable?


* Your parents
* Your tutor
* Your teachers
* Your friends
This is easier said than done, but once you get into the rhythm of a timetable it’ll be simple! Get someone to hold you accountable. Show your timetable to your parents and get them to help you stick to it. I know this sounds counter-productive, but this gives YOU a secret weapon! When you have scheduled down-time and your parents ask you why you’re not studying, you can show them your timetable and let them know that you’ve scheduled study after lunch, for example. Make sure you’re all on the same page so that you can reduce any tension in the family.

If you have a tutor, work with them to create a timetable and get them to help you stay on track with it. Give your timetable to your teacher and get them in touch with what you’re doing outside of class. Work with your friends to create timetables that match up so you can do group study seshes! Also, talk to your teacher about how to create a study timetable and see what they think! Your teacher's input to this sort of stuff is invaluable.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions :)

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