Time..the real killer

What's the hardest thing about completing a self study program? Time! It's so easy to put off studying when you are in charge of your schedule. Since there are no scheduled classes, it's up to you to be effective in your time management. Most of us already have full days. I can't make your life less stressful nor can I add more time to your day but I can tell you that being realistic with your time is essential. Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself. If you do this and fail to meet the deadlines or goals that you have set for yourself, you are only setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment. This is hard to overcome. Once you become frustrated and feel as if you have let yourself down, it's easy to continue putting things off. When you finally do come out of this slump, chances are, you are going to be significantly behind. So, how do you avoid this common trap? You must set realistic expectations for yourself. If you don't think you can study for 1 hour 3 days per week, don't set that as your expectation. Of course, there will be times when things come up and you just aren't able to devote the time that you had planned, but if this happens, do what you can. Doing something in a short amount of time, whether it's reviewing notes, reading a chapter, reviewing key terms, is better than doing nothing at all. However, try to start off on the right track for setting those goals that you are fairly confident that you can achieve. Not only will your study time be more productive, since you are not scrambling to catch up, you will also be able to retain more by studying in shorter periods of time spread out over several days.