ME 211 – Mechanical Engineering Orientation

TOPIC 5 – Developing Good Study Habits

TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

1. Time blocking Method

- Is a productivity technique for personal time management where a period of time (a day or week) is
divided into smaller segments or blocks for specific tasks. You can allocate larger or smaller chunks of time
based on the nature and importance of the task.

2. Timeboxing Method
- Involves allocating a fixed amount of time for a specific task or activity. It is more rigid than the time
blocking method. Once the time is up, you must move to the next task/activity even if the activity is not
yet finished.

3. The Pomodoro Technique

- is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. It uses a kitchen timer to
break work into intervals, typically 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is called
a pomodoro. This technique is suitable for those who have short attention spans and consists of the
following steps:
1. Decide on the task to be done.
2. Set the Pomodoro timer (typically for 25 minutes).
3. Work on the task.
4. End work when the timer rings and take a short break (typically 5–10 minutes).
5. Go back to Step 2 and repeat until you complete four pomodoros.
6. After four pomodoros are done, take a long break (typically 20 to 30 minutes) instead of a
short break. Once the long break is finished, return to step 2.
4. Pareto Principle
- Named after the Italian sociologist and economist Vilfredo Pareto and also known as the 80/20 rule, the
Pareto Principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes.
Other names for this principle are “the law of the vital few” and “the principle of vital sparsity”. Determine
the tasks or activities that contribute the most to your goals or produce the most significant results and
focus and focus the majority of your time on these tasks.

5. ALPEN Method
- Theorized by German economist Lothar J. Seiwert, ALPEN uses an acronym to help you better plan your
day. It involves preparing a defined to-do list at the beginning of the day, thinking about how long each
task will take, and then setting time slots for each item.
- ALPEN stands for:
Activities: a to-do list of all planned activities, tasks, and meetings
Length of time: estimations of how long each task will take
Planning buffer time: this involves adding extra time for interruptions and breaks
Establishing priorities: considering the urgency of each task and which order they should be in,
whether they can be delegated, etc.
Noting level of success: evaluating the day and whether your estimations were accurate or need
adjusting for future reference
 6. Eisenhower Matrix
- The Eisenhower Matrix recognizes the difference between urgent and important tasks, and is useful in
recalibrating your priorities so each area gets the required attention. Inspired by president Dwight D.
Eisenhower in 1954, the matrix has since been developed to measure tasks in order of importance and
urgency.
- Urgent tasks demand immediate attention. Because of this, other tasks can be put off or ignored, and
longer-term goals and growth opportunities are delayed. The matrix helps you focus on both important
and urgent tasks, whilst giving less time to distractions.

7. Eat the frog technique

- Considered as one of the best time management techniques, eat the frog technique involves tackling your
most challenging or important task first, right in the morning. It allows you to make consistent progress on
top priorities, build momentum, and manage your daily schedule more effectively. By completing the most
difficult tasks early on, you can reduce stress and focus on other activities with greater ease.
How to do it?
Identify your frog: your difficult and most important tasks for the day.
Eat them: do them first thing in the morning, and don’t leave them for later.
Repeat every day: turn this technique into a habit and see how you become much more
productive.

EFFECTIVE NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES

1. The Listing Method

- A sequential listing of ideas as they are presented. Lists may be short phrases or complete paragraphs
describing ideas in more detail.
- This method is what most students use as a fallback if they haven’t learned other methods. This method
typically requires a lot of writing, and you may find that you are not keeping up with the professor. It is not
easy for students to prioritize ideas in this method.

2. The Outline Method

- In this method, the idea is to select four or five key points that are going to be covered in a specific lesson.
Under those key points, you write more in-depth sub-points based on what is being discussed on those
topics.
 - A good method to use when material presented by the instructor is well organized. Easy to use when taking
notes on your computer.

3. The Cornell Method

- Developed in the 1950s by Cornell University, this is the most common note taking method around. In fact,
the outline method is likely inspired by this method as there are similarities to it.
- In this method, you are still using key points, but this method goes deeper into the organizing method. For
one, the page is broken into three sections:
o a narrow column called the “cue”
o a wider column for your actual notes
o a summary at the bottom
4. Mind Mapping Method
- A mind map is a simple hierarchical radial diagram invented by Tony Buzan. In other words, you organize
your thoughts around a central idea.
- The objective of a mind map is to clearly visualize all your thoughts and ideas. It helps us follow the natural
thought process.
- The basic principle is to note down the central topic or idea in the center and work outwards adding the
points which flow from and connect to it.

Mind Mapping Example

5. Flow Notes Method

- The idea of flow notes is to treat yourself as a student rather than transcribing word for word. In this
method, you’ll jot down topics, then start drawing arrows, make doodles, diagrams and graphs to get a
general idea out there.

Flow Notes Example

6. The Sentence Method
- Another simple method and is a lesser version of flow notes. The idea with this is a simple note-taking.
You’re jotting down everything that’s being said to the best of your ability. It’s genuine transcription at its
finest.
 7. Charting Method
- This method involves splitting a document into several columns and rows which are then filled with
summaries of information. Similar to the mind mapping method, this helps you in connecting relationships
and facts together between topics.
- This method is a lazier method than the other ones mentioned above but works for the people who want
to highlight key pieces of information on various topics and want to organize facts for easy review.

Charting Method Example

8. Writing on slides
- The final method is another strategy for people who can’t be bothered to take extensive notes. This
method works well particularly in classes where the instructor provides slides that they’re using for their
lectures.
- Whether it’s a handout or you can download them online, all you need to do is print them off and start
writing away on them.
- This method is great because it removes a lot of the worry of taking general notes. Since ideas and
concepts are already discussed, it’s a matter of expanding those notes already.

References:
https://www.professionalacademy.com/blogs/5-time-management-techniques-to-improve-your-personal-effectiveness/
https://www.proofhub.com/articles/time-management-strategies
https://timeular.com/blog/eat-frog/
https://quillbot.com/courses/effective-learning-strategies/chapter/chapter-11-note-taking-strategies/
https://www.lifehack.org/856826/note-taking
https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/key-study-skills/note-taking/charting/
https://www.craftyourcontent.com/best-methods-for-taking-notes/