time management - Blogs - DPG Community2024-03-29T15:08:06Zhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/feed/tag/time%2BmanagementLeap Off the Fencehttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/leap-off-the-fence2019-04-10T07:50:00.000Z2019-04-10T07:50:00.000ZMichael Millwardhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MichaelMillward<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1790818869?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Every year as the company approached its financial year end one of my tasks as the HR director was to sit down with the head of sales and review the performance of all the sales people.</p><p>Who would become members of the Gold Circle an invitation that only the best received?</p><p>Who would receive a supercar financing bonus?</p><p>Who would be put on a performance improvement plan?</p><p>And sadly, who would I be asking to continue their career with a different employer?</p><p>One year I remember my sales colleague telling me how everyone, customers, prospects, and colleagues liked a particular sales person, but they just couldn’t close a door let alone a sale.</p><p>Their problem was quite straight-forward, they were said the head of sales as frightened of a customer saying yes as they were of them saying no.</p><p>This poor sales person spent their time sitting on the fence, procrastinating, unable to decide which of their prospects they should take to the next stage of the selling process.</p><p>In 1989 Neil A Fiore wrote a book that identified the entrenched habits which people in all sorts of jobs use to avoid having to make decisions. Their procrastination he said resulted from a fear of both failure and success.</p><p>Fiore has updated this first book as The Now Habit – A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play. It is packed with twenty-first century case studies, and strategies that readers can explore.</p><p>Using well thought-out exercises Fiore has created a structured approach understanding the triggers that drive your personal procrastination, because we all sit on the fence every so often.</p><p>As with most mental health issues it is not possible to wish or will yourself out of procrastination. Neither is procrastination always a bad thing. It can serve you well sometimes not to rush into a decision. <br/> In advice that is focused on the needs of people in a work environment Fiore deals with the insidious cycle of negative behaviours that procrastination creates and the closely associated issues of anxiety, unhappiness, and alienation.</p><p>The Now Habit, A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play is this week’s <a href="https://dpg.workplacelearningcentre.co.uk/product/getabstract-summary-of-the-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free</a> getAbstract book summary.</p><p>It a book that is packed with proven approaches that will help both individuals, who have jumped off the fence, deal with procrastination, and managers who want to help their teams and individual subordinates address procrastination.</p><p>You might think that you have to jump off the fence first, but that is a leap that doing the exercises that Fiore recommends will give you the confidence to take.</p><p>In, The Now Habit, A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play, you will learn:</p><ul><li>Why you procrastinate,</li><li>How to recognize the “insidious cycle” of procrastination, and</li><li>How to manage your time while enjoying your life and accomplishing your goals.</li></ul><p>Download this week's free getAsbtract book summary from the Work Place Learning Centre at this <a href="https://dpg.workplacelearningcentre.co.uk/product/getabstract-summary-of-the-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">link</a></p></div>Understanding the psychology of time - a free guidehttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/understanding-the-psychology-of-time-a-free-guide2018-10-18T13:55:56.000Z2018-10-18T13:55:56.000ZMichael Millwardhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MichaelMillward<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/129567386?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Of all the resources available to us the one that we have the least control over is time. We can’t increase it or reduce it, it just happens.</p><p>The unfortunate thing is that we all interpret time in a different way. This interpretation of time is further complicated by the way in which it can change depending on our age or the situation that we are in.</p><p>Younger people seem to have a problem waiting for anything, whilst some might say that older people are more patient, but then people reach an age when they revert to impatience.</p><p>Time at work can seem to drag, but flies at weekends which seem to be over just too soon.</p><p>How we experience time can be a physical activity that is linked to heart beat and creates an internal clock which creates our sense of time.</p><p>But it is unlikely that this sense of time is the result of a purely physical process, it can be influenced by whether our brains are naturally programmed to seek instant or deferred gratification.</p><p>If we are impulsive, making decisions quickly, we are more likely to be bored easily. How easily we become bored is itself often determined how our internal clock determines our interpretaion of time. </p><p>These internal clocks define our perception of the passage of time, giving us a brain rhythm that sets our natural speed which differentiates quick people from slow people.</p><p>This not only determines our functional speed but also determines how we are likely to perceive the passage of time, and how long it takes other people to do things, or the punctuality of public transport.</p><p>As the passage of time is something that we can not control, we have perhaps focused on its mechanical objective nature when discussing time management, at the expense of building an understanding of the subjective emotional aspects which seem to change with the passage as we progress through life.</p><p>Marc Wittmann is psychological research fellow at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, Germany, and the author of Felt Time: The Psychology of How We Perceive Time (MIT Press), on which this week’s <a href="https://dpg.workplacelearningcentre.co.uk/product/getabstract-summary-of-the-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free guide</a> to understanding how we utilise time is based.</p><p>Successful time management is not, suggests Wittman about building competence in a process or the application of tools, but the consequence of the practice of mindfulness that he says can reduce the speed of life and help us gain more time.</p><p>The subjective nature of time and the boredom which appears to make time pass slowly increases as we gain competence in work activities and settle into routines.</p><p>That is when we expand work to fit the time available. The secret to a fulfilled career and a long happy life in which time expands to fit the requirements of work or other activities is variety and change.</p><p>The <a href="https://dpg.workplacelearningcentre.co.uk/product/getabstract-summary-of-the-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free guide </a>focuses on explaining how the brain experiences time, why subjective time passes at varying rates and how being more mindful can help us make the most of the time we have available.</p><p>This is perhaps why our holidays seem to be over so quickly, we are in a different environment with days full of new and interesting activities and experiences, there just isn’t enough time to fit it all in!</p><p>Perhaps it is my enjoyment of writing about <a href="https://dpg.workplacelearningcentre.co.uk/product/getabstract-summary-of-the-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this week’s free guide</a> that has created the impression that the time available to complete this task is just too short?</p><p>You can download this week’s free guide about understanding the psychology of how we perceive time is available from this <a href="https://dpg.workplacelearningcentre.co.uk/product/getabstract-summary-of-the-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">link</a>.</p></div>Treat your employees like adults - you'll be rewardedhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/treat-your-employees-like-adults-you-ll-be-rewarded2017-03-02T12:05:42.000Z2017-03-02T12:05:42.000ZMikael Nilssonhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MikaelNilsson790<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2217197?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>My ambition at Smart Energy GB has been to create an environment where staff are supported and feel valued. Part of a family.</p>
<p>So I was delighted to learn we won gold in PR Week’s PR Best Places to Work awards.</p>
<p>The judges praised us for our ‘dynamic and progressive culture’ in their comments, and also expressed admiration for our induction process, annual leave and sabbatical policies.</p>
<p>For those of you that don’t know, we’re the voice of the smart meter rollout. We’re responsible for making sure every household and business knows that they can upgrade to a smart meter, and so monitor their energy usage in real time.</p>
<p>It’s a big job, because we have to reach an entire country, and so need a strong team.</p>
<p>Any team is only as good as its players, and fundamentally, at Smart Energy GB, we like to go the extra mile to support our staff to allow them to focus more on the important stuff.</p>
<p>For example when somebody joins us at Smart Energy GB, we trust them with their responsibilities, and take ours seriously. This means making sure that they’re truly welcomed into our team.</p>
<p>To help people to feel part of the family from day one, we don’t have probationary periods. We make sure our hiring process is as rigorous and fair as possible, and we understand that it’s up to us make someone feel welcome, and so structure our inductions with that in mind.</p>
<p>And we recognise that as adults, life sometimes gets in the way a bit. That’s why we have flexible working, family friendly policies and a decent holiday allowance.</p>
<p>Now, we go on about smart meters a lot – but the truth is, they make a difference to peoples’ lives. You can track in pounds and pence how much you’re spending and get accurate bills, meaning wages go further.</p>
<p>One easy thing employers can do to support staff is to make it easier for them to get their smart meter installed. There are lots of ways you can do this. You could simply make sure that staff have information about the benefits and understand how to get one installed (it’s simple, they just need to contact their energy supplier).</p>
<p>Or you could go a step further and allow staff to work flexibly, or have time off so that their energy supplier can come and install their meter.</p>
<p>Everyone will benefit from the upgrade to smart meters. For staff they can help get energy use under control. But, on a national level, they are an important part of the digitisation of our energy system. With the help of smart meters we will be able to use more renewable energy and manage the country’s demand for energy better, meaning that Britain, in future can have a much more sustainable and resilient energy system.</p>
<p>By supporting your staff in getting a smart meter it says you appreciate them and that you want to do your part in being a sustainable employer, supporting your staff in living more sustainably and reducing their carbon footprint.</p>
</div>10 ways to manage your time more effectivelyhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/10-ways-to-manage-your-time-more-effectively2016-04-07T12:52:57.000Z2016-04-07T12:52:57.000ZDebora Figueiredohttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/DeboraFigueiredo<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2216874?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Last week we talked about how a big chunk of the working day is lost every day, all because of <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/are-you-wasting-your-employees-time-at-work" target="_blank">time management issues</a>. Unnecessary activities and inefficient processes are largely to blame, according to research featured in the piece. The research, called ‘<a href="http://www.digitalnewsroom.co.uk/uploads/2016/03/UK-DST-Report-Final.pdf" target="_blank">Unlocking the UK’s Daily Savings Time’</a>, found that meetings, email, constant distractions and interruptions and poor systems and processes can chew up a lot of time.</p>
<p>So this week, we are giving you our top 10 tips on how to manage your time better, based around those four main time wasters.</p>
<p><strong>Meetings</strong></p>
<p>According to ‘Unlocking the UK’s Daily Savings Time’, if organisations were to reduce the number of meetings held each year by 30%, they would benefit from 200 extra working hours per employee. Make sure meetings aren’t damaging your productivity.</p>
<p><strong>1.</strong> Say no to meetings that aren’t necessary. It is very easy for teams and organisations to get mired in a meetings culture, but it doesn’t take a lot of effort to change that culture. So many people complain about having to attend unnecessary, lengthy meetings, so cutting back on them could be a real popularity booster too!<br />
<strong>2.</strong> If a meeting is important but you are too busy or unable to attend, why not send someone in your place, someone who might benefit from the experience. It could be a good career development opportunity for a colleague or employee.<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Don’t let meetings overrun or lose focus. Stick to the agenda in hand and have clear objectives about what needs to be achieved.<br />
<strong>4.</strong> Make sure everyone who needs to be at the meeting is at the meeting.</p>
<p><strong>Email</strong><br />
Email is a wonderful thing and it’s hard to remember/imagine life without it. However, it does need to be kept in check. Here are a few pointers to help you manage your email:</p>
<p><strong>5.</strong> If you have an important task that has to be achieved asap, then ignore your email inbox. Just concentrate on the job in hand.<br />
<strong>6.</strong> Don’t send unnecessary emails or get caught up in ‘Reply to all’ emails. Unsubscribe to email lists you don’t want or need.<br />
<strong>7.</strong> If email is a constant problem, then set specific times when you check your email and outside of those times, ignore it.<br />
<strong>8.</strong> Respond to emails promptly, deal with them and move on.</p>
<p><strong>Distractions and interruptions</strong><br />
There are a lot of these in modern life. Sometimes, an interruption is necessary and if the interruption is more important than the job in hand, then it is a necessary interruption. Otherwise:</p>
<p><strong>9.</strong> Stay focused. If you don’t want to be interrupted, then switch off your phone and voicemail.</p>
<p><strong>10.</strong> If you know you need a day of solid concentration, consider working from home or in a quiet room or corner of the office so that everyone knows not to disturb you.</p>
<p>The last time waster – poor systems and processes – is a topic that could fill a whole blog post or more. But in brief, if your systems and processes are not as effective as they should be, then work out what is wrong with them.</p>
<p>Where are the holes?</p>
<p>Where are the blockages?</p>
<p>Then think about how you can address the problems and what technology is out there that could help.</p>
<p><strong>What are the best solutions to your problems? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below.</strong></p>
</div>New to Level 5 - How do you organise your time?https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/new-to-level-5-how-do-you-organise-your-time2014-12-08T11:58:28.000Z2014-12-08T11:58:28.000ZKeith Hayhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/KeithHay<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2216354?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><br> <a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357538?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357538?profile=original" width="259" class="align-right"></a>Hi everyone.</p>
<p>I've just started (in November) my level 5 L&D HRD course. Part of my first assignment is to write my first Blog and I thought I'd have a bash at opening a discussion around the old chestnut of Time Management.</p>
<p>I'm fortunate that I have the opportunity to complete some of my assignments in work, however I'm sure that many of us feel the pressure of getting your work submitted on time and the sinking feeling when you're trying to juggle work, home life and the course itself.</p>
<p>Along with the many time management models and prioritisation techniques, has anyone come up with any new or novel ways to effectively organise their time that they would like to share or moreover, discuss ways that they have made the study more fun!!</p>
<p>I found it a little daunting at first but when you have to use words like "disciplined" and "sacrifice" when learning, it tends to automatically feel its something you have to do, rather than want to do.</p>
<p>So please feel free to share any ideas or thoughts and it will be great to see how creative people are in their studies.</p>
<p>Thanks in Advance</p></div>The 'P' Wordhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/the-p-word-12014-05-23T14:42:10.000Z2014-05-23T14:42:10.000ZDebora Figueiredohttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/DeboraFigueiredo<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2216370?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>We all do it.</p>
<p>There’s always that task that we put to one side and ignore – until it builds up and ends up touching the ceiling. It’s a bad habit, especially if you’re working in a busy environment or a professional workplace, but we all do it and it’s time to face the facts and admit to it.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357565?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357565?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="139"></a>“I can do it tomorrow” or “It’s not that important”, we’ve all used those excuses or similar ones; procrastinating is a ‘thief of time’. You end up forgetting about it and missing deadlines, stressed at work, which then can impact the atmosphere in your workplace, and you could end up spending more time in the office than you should…</p>
<p>“Hi, my name is Debora and I’m a procrastinator”.</p>
<p>I’ve recently been working on a few 200 page workbooks and I found myself skipping over them on my ‘To Do’ list. No, it’s not ‘glamorous’ work and yes, I have made a start on them (finally).</p>
<p>It’s not laziness; they’re just mundane tasks. We all have to man-up and just do them, and with a positive attitude and it’s just as important work as other tasks.<a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357697?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357697?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" height="102" width="750"></a>Not every job will be 100% fun, creative work that you enjoy – everyone procrastinates! I’ve prepared a few tips for you to try out to help with the… ahem, “addiction”.</p>
<ol>
<li>Prepare a ‘To Do’ list with all the tasks you have to do that week, highlighting which ones you will do on which <a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357737?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357737?profile=original" width="251"></a>day (e.g. Monday = pink, Tuesday = green), and do this every Monday. Or you could simply highlight what’s urgent and what is important.</li>
<li>Managing your time effectively is important – here’s my blog on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://littlefigs.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/tick-tock/" target="_blank">Time Management</a> and another <a rel="nofollow" title="Delegate or Ditch?" href="http://www.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/2014/1/21/delegate-or-ditch.aspx" target="_blank">DPG blog</a> on how to manage tasks, I hope it helps.</li>
<li>Another thing to help you avoid procrastination are incentives - if you have work that you’re putting off but you get something good out of it (promotion, feedback, recognition, etc.), you’re going to do the work for the ‘treat’.</li>
<li>A good way to avoid it is also to focus. Turn off your phone, turn off your email notifications and stop daydreaming! The work needs to be done and it’s better to get it over and done with now than stress out over it later.</li>
</ol>
<p>Hope these tips help you get through the disease that is ‘procrastination’ and help you be more productive at work.</p>
<p>So, will you join me in rehab? Or will you just put it off till tomorrow?</p>
<p>I’d like to hear your thoughts on this topic.</p>
<p>Stay tuned…</p></div>Mind over matter or running shoes through puddles....https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/mind-over-matter-or-running-shoes-through-puddles2013-03-27T19:52:38.000Z2013-03-27T19:52:38.000ZHelen Jefferyhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/HelenJeffery<div><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357285?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357285?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="200"></a></p>
<p>I’ve always been pretty good at procrastinating, especially if I’ve felt daunted or over-whelmed by a task. In the absence of a deadline, I can employ a whole range of avoidance tactics and excuses not to get going. Indeed some things I’ve planned, such as de-cluttering, barely even get started.</p>
<p>However, I am changing and starting to grab hold of things I’ve been putting off. I have a sneaky suspicion that a change in my running practice has something to do with this. For many years I ran a couple of times a week, always the same route. A pleasant 3 mile circular route from my house. I knew the route well and never felt the need to go any further. When life became quite stressful though, my husband suggested that I set myself some running goals to add some focus to my running. At first I resisted the idea, ironic given that I’m a coach. I wasn’t a serious ‘runner’, just a jogger who did it for fun. Gradually though the idea grew on me and I decided to enter a half-marathon.</p>
<p>I started running further, doing new routes and slowly building up my miles. Each time I had a run planned though negative thoughts would enter my head ‘I’m too tired today’, ‘I’ll never run a half-marathon’, ‘it’s too cold and wet’. Rarely did I put on my running shoes and really feel like going, although I always felt great when I got back.</p>
<p>The day of the half-marathon arrived and despite my nerves, I managed to relax and soak in the atmosphere. It was a lovely spring day and I decided to just try and enjoy it and go with the flow. I felt great running and was amazed to find I got round in 1 hour 49 minutes, which isn't bad for a novice!</p>
<p>Since then I have continued to try different routes and distances and even done some races. The biggest change for me though, in addition to becoming a better runner, is my mindset. I now really enjoy putting on my running shoes and getting ready to go. I love thinking about my run before I do it and visualising where I will go. I love soaking in all the sights and sounds as I run and I love the sense of achievement I get on returning, particularly if I’ve been out in the rain! Very rarely do negative thoughts enter my head and if they do, I don’t give them much air time as I get my trainers on and head for the door. Yes, I am now a fully-fledged runner!</p>
<p>If you find yourself procrastinating the following techniques may help:-</p>
<p>- Recognise and challenge negative thoughts about doing a task. How realistic are your negative thoughts?</p>
<p>- Get in the mood for what you are going to do and prepare yourself mentally.</p>
<p>- Visualise yourself doing your task. Even if it is something you consider to be fairly laborious think of things you can do to make it more enjoyable e.g. playing some music you like or giving yourself a reward half-way through.</p>
<p>- Visualise yourself completing the task and how good that will feel.</p>
<p>- Take small steps, you don’t have to achieve your long-term goal in one go. Just making a start is enough to get you on a roll sometimes.</p>
<p>As for my de-cluttering, I started last week with just one box file and have done 30 minutes of de-cluttering a day since. No mean feat considering I’ve been meaning to start for years! What made me start? Well, to use a well-known advertising slogan I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and ‘just do it’!</p>
<p>What tasks do you put off doing and how do you get started?</p></div>But - when will I find the time to study?https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/but-when-will-i-find-the-time-do-study2013-01-23T12:51:54.000Z2013-01-23T12:51:54.000ZJoss Andersonhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/JossAnderson<div><p>So you’ve decided to <a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357260?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="281" height="209" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357260?profile=RESIZE_320x320"></a>study for a professional qualification, one which will enable you to develop your knowledge and skills, give you more confidence in yourself, and help you achieve your career goals – maybe even lead to a pay rise or a new job. Fantastic! But....</p>
<p>.... it’s going to take commitment, motivation and good organizational skills to achieve this. As my mother (still) tells me, you never get something for nothing. And in any case, if you didn't have to put in any time and effort would you feel that the qualification was worth anything?</p>
<p>One of the biggest challenges that people can have on while studying for professional qualifications is that of managing their time. Many of us have busy jobs, partners, children, hobbies and – if we’re lucky -social lives, which all need to be juggled without the added commitment of a qualification course. So….how are YOU going to do it?</p>
<p>Here are my top ten strategies that will I hope will help you to manage your time and stay focused: Take a look at link at the bottom of the blog for a video version.</p>
<ol>
<li><b>Try to find the best times for study that suit you personally</b>: create a blank timetable and record what you do and how long it takes every day for a week. Once you have a clear idea of how you spend your time, you’ll be able to see when you lose or waste time, such as commuting, lunch hours, Sunday mornings…. Think about your personal habits –are you an early bird or a night own? When are you at your most productive or creative?</li>
<li><b>Know your deadlines</b>. Make sure you know what needs to be done and by when; write key dates into your calendar or diary and if possible set up alerts so that you are always ahead of the game.</li>
<li><b>Make meetings with yourself</b>: when you have a deadline coming up, diarise some time to spend studying. If it’s written in your calendar, you’re more likely to do it. Let your friends and family know when you’re going to be studying, and ask them to give you some peace and quiet during those times.</li>
<li><b>Be clear about what you’ve got to do</b>, and when you have to do it by, so there is no last minute panic when an assignment or project is due for completion. You might find it helpful to set yourself “false deadlines” a couple of days before the assignment is due – this will ensure you always have time to check and proof read before the actual deadline.</li>
<li><b>Try to have a set space for studying</b>: your spare room, a corner of your dining room, or wherever you can. Make it comfortable and organise your books and pens etc. so you don’t waste time looking for things. The same applies to filing documents on your computer – a well-organized filing system can save you hours looking for your work. if studying at home is out of the question, why not go to your local library? They’re usually quiet and you will have access to computers and internet there too.</li>
<li><b>Make a “to-do” list</b> and mark the items in terms of how important they are; this will help you to prioritise. Cross off each item as you complete it - this will help you stay on track and it feels really good to cross off all those items!</li>
<li><b>Break down larger projects</b> or assignments into smaller, more manageable chunks – planning, researching, drafting, editing, proof-reading and so on.</li>
<li><b>Set yourself targets</b> for each study session, e.g. to read a number of pages, complete a number of exercises etc. Give yourself a treat when you achieve each goal, then when you’ve finished a larger piece of work give yourself a larger reward.</li>
<li><b>Take regular breaks</b> while you’re studying – and plan these into your routine. We humans can only concentrate on something for so long , usually around 45 - 50 minutes, before we need to recharge our batteries. So for ten minutes of every hour you study, try to do something different –make a cup of tea, check your emails (but don’t get side-tracked for too long!), or go for a walk to get some fresh air.</li>
<li><b>Don’t be afraid to ask for help</b> if you are stuck or get behind. It’s best to seek advice sooner rather than later. Your facilitator is there to help so get in touch with him/her.</li>
</ol>
<p>Video Version below and on this link - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVzS-J15BUY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVzS-J15BUY</a></p>
<p></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mVzS-J15BUY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>I wish you every success in your studies, both now and in the future :)</p></div>