Fifty to ninety minutes of study at a time for each course works best. Relaxation periods of ten or fifteen minutes should be scheduled between study periods. It is more efficient to study hard for a definite period of time, and then stop for a few minutes, than attempt to study on indefinitely. The weekend is a good time for review. Lack of flexibility is the major reason why schedules fail.
Students tend to over-schedule themselves.
When a student plans his schedule, he should begin by listing the activities that come at fixed hours and cannot be changed. Classes and laboratories, eating in the dorm dining hall, sleep, and work for money are examples of time uses which the student typically cannot alter. Next, he can schedule his flexible time commitments. Recreational activities are planned last. Thus, if he has an unexpected visitor at a time he has reserved for study, he can substitute an equal amount of study time for the period he had set aside for recreation.