European University of Lefke (EUL) Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Education, Department of Classroom Teaching, Lecturer Prof. Dr. Oğuz Serin gave information on “Efficient Use of Time Skill”.

“A very important part of efficient study techniques is the ability to use time efficiently, which we call time management. Saying that time management is a skill that you will face for a lifetime and if you have acquired it as a skill, time management will bring you great advantages both while studying and in your future life, ” Serin explained time management as a definition of completing time, making and implementing a plan for a job to accomplish.

Serin: In order to start time management, first, check the time, try to understand how your time passes, how you use the time.

Serin said “To start time management, firstly, check the time, try to understand how your time passes, how you use the time, be aware of the situations in which you lose time, know when you work efficiently, prepare a to-do list and write everything you need to do here, using daily and weekly programs must be a habit. Use a monthly plan, efficient use of time is not only an important concept for university preparation. Time management is an important concept throughout an individual’s life. If we consider that life consists of time sections, we understand better how important it is to use time effectively.            .

Serin, listed the time traps as; indecision, inability to say no, procrastination behavior, lack of schedule, out of control events, cell phone and long phone calls, television, computer chat, etc.

Serin, in order not to fall into traps; Implementing the program with determination, to be able to say “no” when necessary, not to leave today’s work for tomorrow, to be scheduled, to limit telephone calls, to watch television at the time written in the program and he also pointed out that the time that cannot be bought, stored, repurposed is cheap when used well, and could be very expensive when used badly. 

Serin: While studying, you should take a break of 10 or 15 minutes at the end of 45 minutes.

“Set your goal; Setting goals is extremely important for work motivation.

You must have a career plan during secondary school and especially high school. The importance of knowing yourself in the previous stage comes into play here. You can use your information about yourself while setting a goal. Our future plans should be realistic, appropriate and exciting.

You should be excited while thinking about where you dream of being in the future. This excitement will provide you the strength that you need to sit at the desk to study your lesson” Serin said and he added that, you can start to each study session with “I have to take a step now to reach my future goals” inner voice.

Studies show that students who sleep regularly get better grades than those who do not sleep well.

Serin touched on the following in his statement: “Course study time; If you decide to study and sit at the desk to study the lesson, you have made a big step forward. Now that the hardest part is left behind, we can look at other details.Your study sessions should last maximum of 45 minutes.

At the end of 45 minutes, you must take a break for 10 or 15 minutes. Studying environment; Researches show that temperature, sunlight, colors and air quality are effective on efficient work.

The area to be worked should be ventilated and at a temperature of 22-25 degrees. If you are working at home, choose a quiet room with the least clutter. If background noise bothers you, put on noise canceling headphones and open a playlist of songs that are suitable for study. Create the most suitable studying environment possible before opening your books, you should remove all distractions from the environment you study.TV, computer and especially mobile phone. In addition to this, studying by listening to music is definitely not the right method.

The human brain cannot focus on two different things at the same time. The arguments that ‘I understand better when I study with music’ are definitely incompatible with scientific reality.

Note-taking; The prerequisites for good note-keeping are to come to the class with appropriate grade materials and to use abbreviations. A student who keeps good notes knows in advance what the questions would be in the exams. Rewriting notes is not a waste of time. This process is beneficial in terms of consolidation of information in memory and prevents forgetting. 20% of reading, 40% of reading after listening; 60% of what is written is remembered after reading and listening.

Lastly, Serin said, “Remember this! If you make a right plan, you have enough time to finish everything. Thinking positively will encourage you to work harder. Studies show that students who sleep regularly get better grades and are more successful at solving math problems than those who do not sleep well. This indicates that students need to condition their biological clock. In order to maintain sleep paterns, it is necessary to give up habits such as reading in bed or paying attention to the phone and to sleep and wake up at the same time every day”.

Serin “It should not be forgotten that a successful person is someone who has achieved his goals within a certain period of time. It is not our environment that prevents us, but our disbelief in ourselves. To succeed, we must trust ourselves and our abilities, “he advised.