When you have a limited amount of money to spend, you work according to a budget. In the same way, when you have a limited amount of time, you have to plan accordingly.

You make an economic budget so you don’t spend more than you should, or so that you make sure to only buy what you need. Allocating your time properly helps you to avoid wasting it, so you can do everything that’s important.

 

So, we need to make a timetable that should be:

 

• Personal: it should be written by you, keeping in mind every element. First, you have to get to know yourself so you can plan according to your skills and aptitudes. We all have different levels of intelligence, and we all have different skills. Some people find studying to be hard, and others think it’s easy. We’re better at some subjects than others, because we are more intellectually prepared for them.

In regards to interests, it’s really important to keep your eyes on the future so you can give special attention to those areas that are more closely related to subsequent subjects, depending also on the choices you make.

• Realistic: on the one hand, it should be based on study needs and specific activities. On the other hand, it should be based on what you realistically can do. Don’t write an ideal plan. Remember that you’re writing something you must stick to, so keep your skills and available time in mind.
• Flexible: you should always include some extra time in case of unexpected events. You might get an unexpected visit, or you might have to go out for some reason. If you’ve left some margin of extra time, this won’t be an inconvenience, and you’ll be able to do most of the work you need to do.