Becoming a student in August 2000 started me on a long journey to self discoveries. I wanted to be considered amongst my peers an intelligent person. But for some reason, it has been hard for me to study and retain information. In the article, “25 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Now” (on page 80 of Becoming A Master Student, 11th Edition by Dave Ellis) has given me techniques to help me achieve my goal of being an intelligent person.

The first technique is to learn to say no. I am the type of person that feels bad if I tell someone I cannot do something for them. I will have to tell myself that just because I tell someone no, does not necessarily mean I am being selfish. It just means I am thinking about completing my goals and tasks at hand.

The second technique is to pay attention to my attention. It’s so easy for me to take a lot of unnecessary breaks while studying. My attention should be focused on my future career once I complete my degree. If I want to complete a task such as clean my bathroom, I should do this after about 1 hour of straight study time. I will give myself 15 minutes for each break. This should keep me on track for completing assignments.

The third technique I plan to adopt is agreeing with my living mates about study time. My husband knows that I like to read and study in our bedroom upstairs. He knows not to bother me while I am studying so he chooses to do what he wants during this time.

The fourth technique is to get ready the night before. This has been a technique I have heard throughout my college career. I have used it in the past and it works well. But there are times when I am to lazy to prepare for the next day and it has caused me to forget things. Getting ready the night before makes sense to being a prepared and organized person.

The fifth technique I will apply more to my life is to use waiting time. While I go pick up my son from band, sometimes I have to wait 10-20 minutes. In this waiting time, I could do quick things like pluck my eyebrows, make a grocery list or make a to-do list.

The sixth technique is to study difficult subjects first. By doing this task, I will feel like the hardest part of my day is over with. I can go on enjoying the rest of my day and not worry about tackling what I dread to do the most.

The seventh technique is to ask myself “Can I delegate this?” By delegating things such as folding laundry, doing the dishes or sweeping the floor will take the burden off of my shoulders. I understand maintaining a home is important, but it’s not just my responsibility. All those that live here should share in the tasks. This will create more time towards my studying.

The eighth technique is to avoid noise distractions. A good example of this is not to study while I am at work. Other employees are watching television, listening to the scanners or talking amongst themselves. This distraction will cause me to lose focus on my studies.

The ninth technique I really need to incorporate in my daily life is to ask myself “Can I do just one more thing?” So many times I find myself just being lazy most of my days. I only accomplish very little in regards to school, work or house duties. By spending my days to their fullest, I will reap the benefits down the road.

The final technique that can help me is to use a library. Even though I like to accomplish my school work at home, I must learn to incorporate the use of the library. Not only will it provide me with a mental atmosphere but I will explore other educational reading materials to enlighten me in other subjects. This will make me a well-rounded individual.

Applying these ten techniques to my everyday life, I will become a more time efficient person. All of these techniques can be applied to daily life and not just to school related tasks. After graduating, I will still be able to apply these valuable techniques to stay on top of things.

This article is original content written by Tanya L. See. This article maybe used on another website or newsletter as long as it's copied in its entirety and credit and link information is given to Tanya L. See, www.tanyasee.com