Time savers for home and school

Now that we are approaching the final crunch before exams, I try to help my law students find ways that they can save time on some of their tasks at school and at home. 

Here are some hints that seem to ease the stress because of greater efficiency and effectiveness on school tasks:

• Read actively now for learning rather than highlighting material to learn later.
• Review regularly so that you do not need to relearn as much.
  • Review your readings/briefs before you go into class.
  • Review your class notes within 24 hours for better understanding.  Condense them in anticipation of outlining later.
  • Review your outline cover to cover regularly in addition to any specific topics you are learning.
• Outline new material every week so you do not get too far away from it.
• Condense your outline to 1-2 pages per topic after intensely studying that topic.  This way, you create a smaller, big picture outline of the essentials while the material is fresh.
• Ask your professors any outstanding questions now rather than wait until the last minute.
• Organize all materials for each course so that your exam review will not miss any notes, handouts, problem sets, etc.
• Stock up on school supplies so that you will not run out at a critical time during the remainder of the semester: pens, ink cartridges, paper, index cards, tabs, file folders. 
• Complete your hardest tasks when you are most alert so that you are more productive.
• Evaluate your study options to choose the best strategies:
  •  Should you study at school, another academic building, a coffeehouse, or at home to avoid distractions?
  • Should you study one subject for a longer period (2-4 hours) or switch among subjects to keep focused?
  • Should you cut back on hours at your job to make studying a priority?
  • Should you lessen the time you spend on e-mailing, instant messaging, texting, and talking on the phone?

Here are some hints that seem to ease the stress because of greater efficiency and effectiveness on home tasks:

• Minimize your time spent on cleaning by scheduling a major cleaning session now and then picking up and spot cleaning only through the end of exams.
• Plan your errands so that you have scheduled blocks of time twice a week; place errands in the same part of town in the same time block.
• Run your errands in "off peak" times whenever possible to avoid lines.  Since many stores stay open late or 24 hours, you do not have to shop at the same time as most people.
• Stock up on food supplies that have a long shelf life to avoid multiple grocery trips later.
• Buy "family size" portions of prepared foods even if you live alone so that you will have multiple meals taken care of at once.  Freeze unused portions for later if you desire more variety within a week's menu.
• Complete as much food prep as possible on the weekend for the entire week.  Cut up fresh fruit or vegetables to be portioned out over the week.  Cook multiple servings of a recipe in the crock-pot to use during the week without extra food prep (or to freeze and thaw for greater variety later).  Make sandwiches ahead for several days. 
• Trade off child care with other law students so that each law school student can have blocks of uninterrupted time for study.
• Talk to family and friends about how important this period in the semester is to your success.  Ask for them to help you have concentrated periods of study until exams are over.   

By taking control over daily tasks that are not high priority, law students can minimize their stress and focus more on their study priorities.  Saving even 1/2 hour per day means 3 1/2 extra hours per week to study for exams.  (Amy Jarmon)