Completing this course will impose a new set of demands on your time. Depending on your circumstances you might already be juggling other commitments like:

• work
• personal relationships
• family responsibilities
• community/volunteer work
• recreation and sporting commitments

Integrating the demands of studying with an already busy life schedule can prove to be very difficult , but it is not impossible.

Controlling your use of your time is the key to the successful management of your various commitments. Click on each of the three ingredients of successful time management in the graphic below for a brief explanation.

No matter what you do in life, being motivated is the engine of success . This involves thinking about the reasons for spending your time on one thing rather than another (ie your aims):

• What you are trying to achieve?
• Why you are trying to achieve it?
• How are you going to achieve it?

Your aims in life can be a significant factor influencing your prospects for success. This will also have an influence on what you choose to study. Your reasons for choosing a particular course will affect your:

• level of interest in your studies
• commitment to your studies

It is one thing know what activity has to be completed when. It is quite another to know how you will use the time that you have allocated for these activities:

• Which activities should be given priority ?
• What are the steps involved in each activity ?
• In which order should those steps be arranged?

To organize your time effectively, you may want to use a weekly schedule to record your commitments, including your study plans such as the schedule shown below:

Alternatively you may prefer to develop ‘to do' lists detailing what tasks need to be done, estimating the effort or time required to complete each task and prioritizing them.

All the time management and organization strategies in the world are of no use if you do not apply them. Put your plans into action and stick to them. As you complete each task, check them off so that you can see the progress you have made toward achieving your study goals.

You will find it easier to stick to your timetable if you:

• break large tasks into smaller manageable tasks
• stop when you plan to have short regular breaks
• use rewards (eg snack, do an activity you enjoy) to help motivate you
• review your progress regularly
• adjust your plans as needed