Getting Started: the 10 Minute Rule
Having trouble getting started?
- Divide your work into small steps
- Make yourself work for 10 full minutes
You will find yourself working for longer than 10 minutes before you know it!
Motivation
You don't have to feel motivated - you can start anyway!
Waiting
You spend lots of time waiting in line, waiting for your friends, waiting for your family!
- Carry around a book or some readings
- Listen to recorded lectures
- Record notes on your phone while you study and listen to them while you are waiting
Commuting
You probably spend 5 to 10 hours a week in a car or bus.
Use that time :
- Read on the bus. Even 5 minutes and a couple of pages work out to hours and books.
- Listen to recorded notes or lectures
Between Classes
What are you doing with the blocks of time between classes? Find a quiet spot on campus where you can work comfortably.
Great places to study on any ACC Campus:
- Library
- Library Group Study Rooms
- Learning Lab Group Study Rooms
- Learning Lab
- Outdoors when the weather is nice
- Seating areas all over campus
- Empty classroom
Procrastination
40% of college students say procrastination is a problem. Do you cram before tests or deadlines?
Why do we procrastinate? Procrastination may how you cope with stress.
Try these tips:
- If your to-do list is too long, try making a "one-item list": re-write the top item from your list at the top of a blank page and work the task to completion, then repeat
- Do something everyday on your homework or readings - don't save it all to do over the weekend
- Write your deadlines on a calendar and tape it to your bathroom mirror
