WATCHWORDS:
a. Practice, Patience, Perseverance;
b. Plan your work and work your plan;
c. There is no substitute for hard-work and discipline.
Most of the times we feel ‘oh we do study but do not know why our efforts fail to yield results’ and there arises a need for an organized and an effective study plan.
HOW TO MAKE A STUDY PLAN?
Preparing a study plan is not a matter of an hour or 2. To prepare a flexible and an effective study plan it takes half day or even more than that! A target should be set, items should be prioritized and an effective timetable should be drawn. How?
a. Make a list of all the subjects you are supposed to study chapter wise and topic wise.
b. Order them based on your difficulty level (difficult to easy)
c. Materials to refer
d. Count your days till the exam, and divide them based on the difficulty of the subject.
e. Divide the total chapters by number of days assigned to the particular subject.
f. Each subject should be studied atleast 2 times before the examination. Once studying & Revision atleast once
g. While studying a chapter, make notes or summary of the chapter, not in sheets but in separate notebooks for all the subjects. This will take time but is extremely useful for studying on the previous days of exams.
h. Notes making can be done while attending classes update the summary books of all the subjects before the classes end, on a day-to-day basis .This will help save time.
BEFORE MAKING A STUDY PLAN:
a. One should set realistic targets as overambitious targets can cause disappointment;
b. Once a plan is prepared, stick to it. Initial difficulties such as various temptations and lack of concentration etc. should be conquered with determination;
c. No study plan can be successful if it is not followed and executed sincerely;
d. Do not try to cheat off the schedule as you are only cheating yourself.
BENEFITS OF A STUDY PLAN:
a. Helps you stay focused & goal-oriented;
b. Thorough understanding of one’s syllabus thereby making one, feel organized and in-command;
c. The achievement of each target brings in the motivation to achieve another. It feels like it’s a game and very soon one starts enjoying the process. So a study plan makes boring studies fun!
d. Regular studies reduces the level of stress. Work doesn’t get accumulated;
e. There will be no need to study on unearthly hours which also safeguards one’s Physical and mental health;
f. Studying at regular hours increases concentration and inculcates a sense of discipline;
g. Time can be allotted to both curricular and extra-curricular activities which enhance and makes studies effective;
h. Initially the efforts may look too much, but the rewards of having a study plan are rich, varied and really long lasting;
HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR STUDYING SCHEDULE:
a. Keep your schedule handy – Use a day planner or a small notebook. Update it on a daily basis. If there was something in a day which could not be studied make sure to finish that the next day or within that week;
b. Plan a little less, a day in a week ,which would be “creation of provision” for the other days following conservatism i.e. something that was left unfinished in the previous days can be finished on this day of the week thereby ensuring successful execution of plan;
c. One step builds upon another. Re-arrange your schedule when you just need a spontaneous day off;
d. Update your notes on a day-to-day basis during the course of attending classes.
EXECUTION OF STUDY PLAN:
The most important of all, the plan so formulated has to be executed effectively. We’ve figured out that having a study plan helps you study consistently. But how can you make sure you actually stick to the plan which you’ve made?
Find your best time of the day:
Are you a lark or an owl? Some people are best in the morning (lark) and some late at night. Even if you think you know what time of the day is best for you, try experimenting for a week or two.
Mix things up:
It’s easy to get bored with a study plan if you’re constantly working on the same things. Avoid repetition, avoid monotony. Working on one topic one day and something completely different the next, will help you stay energized and fresh.
Keep it flexible:
How often have you made a study plan only to have it fall apart as soon as something unexpected cropped up? So when you draw up your studying schedule, allow some Spare time which you can use if you need to catch up. Some areas of study might simply take longer time than expected and this buffer time lets you allow for that.
S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS:
a. Recognize and re-enforce your Strengths.
b. Analyze and drive away your Weaknesses.
c. Grab your Opportunity and make the most of it.
d. Tackle your Threats.
By: Prakruthi S
CAclubindia
