QSK140 Scheduling Tasks and Time

By scheduling tasks and managing the time required to complete them you remain in control and avoid the stress of working to deadlines. Furthermore, working to a schedule can increase your enjoyment of study as you are working to a plan and not worrying that you should be doing something else.

Identifying Tasks and Activities

Study tasks are pieces of work that are either assessable; or required to build knowledge and understanding of subject matter and develop skills. Activities are the actions that are required to complete the task.

Breaking tasks into activities focusses the mind on what is required and assists with management and scheduling.

An example of breaking down an essay task into manageable activities:

• Find out what is expected of you


• Choose a topic


• Analyse the topic


• Read and make notes


• Research the topic


• Think about your research


• Analyse the topic


• Plan your essay


• Write the first draft


• Edit the first draft


• Further research and reading as required


• Re-write as a result of further research


• Reader to comment on the final draft and discuss comments


• Edit final draft following comments


• Proofread the essay


• Submit the essay

Estimating Time for Tasks
Only through experience do you become more adept at estimating how long study tasks and activities take to complete. It is important to review the process of completing a task so you can learn from your experience.

There are several factors to consider when estimating the time required to complete a task:

• The variables and your skill in estimating (ie. skill levels and experience)


• Learning objectives for the unit


• Learning objectives for the task


• How much time you are expected to spend on a unit

PlanEx

A spreadsheet to help students schedule ongoing activities, assessment deadlines and other non-study commitments.