TIME MANAGEMENT
**Diffusing the Time Bomb : A Blue-Print For Time Management**
It is said that the success is the best effort within the constraints of space, time and resources.
Similarly, Time Management for Civil Services preparation is a vast topic. It cant be dealt in one page. Here Time Management is of two types-
1. During preparation and
2. During 3 hours in examination hall.
The scope of this article is limited to the first one i.e. Time management during preparation.
Let us start by acknowledging the fact that we have to go for Multilayered Planning Approach to manage the time to optimize the output as-
1. Subject Wise Planning (Indicative/ Broad/ Flexibility Allowed)
2. Monthly Planning (Detailed/ Rigid) And
3. Daily Planning (Tailor Made/ Instantaneous).
Let us discuss each one by one.
I.Subject Wise Planning-
Assumptions I am making here are,
• The reader is a beginner who is going to appear in CSE 2013. So he has atleast 8 months to prepare for mains before he starts the engine for PT (till feb).
• He is a full timer ie he has at-least 10-12 hours to devote round the year.
• This is an integrated plan for GS including PT and Mains.
So we have 8 months, lets divide it as,
• Optional 1- 3 months
• Optional 2- 3 months
• GS- 2months
Now prepare an Indicative Plan for each to complete each one in stipulated time. Give equal weightage to both the papers, i.e. 1.5 months for each. Here the balance is very important as generally we tend to emphasize on paper one be it Optional 1, Optional 2 or GS.
Lets take an example to elucidate.
Example-
For GS we have 2 months= 60 days. So a broad division to study it, can be as following-
• History- 15 days
• Geography- 15 days
• Polity- 15 days
• Economy- 15 days
Now you have a broad idea of the fact how less time you actually have! We will pick the thread of this example later also but leave it for some time.
That was a Macro Plan now lets discuss the Micro one.
II. Monthly Planning (Detailed/ Rigid)-
This one is the most important of all. Here we will prepare the detailed study plan of forthcoming four weeks. I have found it very very useful to complete the humongous course without missing/ over emphasizing any topic. This is well applicable to Revisions as well.
Assumptions I made here are,
• The reader is studying 2 subjects out of 3 in per day i.e. any two out of Optional-1, Optional-2 and GS.
Lets pick the thread of our example to elucidate further.
• We allotted 2 months for GS meaning thereby History in just 15 days!!! So less! How to cover whole of the Modern History in just 2 weeks! Afraid! Hai na??
• Don’t be. I have a magic. Lets double the number of days using my jadoo of simple maths.
• We have devoted 2 months to GS, if you recall, leaving other 6 months for O1 and O2. So we assumed there that while studying GS you would be reading GS only, which is not the case here.
• That exercise was just to make you realize how less time has left and how to divide the syllabus to rule!
• Here, this month, we will study GS plus one optional. So for all practical purposes your number of days are doubled as you have only half of the day for GS and rest is for Optional. To be very clear one of your optional is also prepared simultaneously So now you have 4 months for GS. Yipeee ! what a magic.
Now breakup for GS may be as-
• History- 30 days
• Geography- 30 days
• Polity- 30 days
• Economy- 30 days
Now thats good na!
Move further, to actual thing,
Detailed Monthly Plan (DMP)-
Day 1- 1857 Struggle
Day 2- Socio Religious Reforms
Day 3- Socio Religious Reforms
Day 4- Socio Religious Reforms
Day 5- Socio Religious Reforms
Day 6- Moderates’ Phase till partition of Bengal
Day 7- Moderates’ Phase till partition of Bengal
Day 8- Moderates’ Phase till partition of Bengal
Day 9- Advent of Gandhi till Non Cooperation movement 1921
Day 10- RESERVE DAY
Day 11- Advent of Gandhi till Non Cooperation movement 1921
Day 12- Advent of Gandhi till Non Cooperation movement 1921
Day 13- Communists/ Swarajists/ Civil Disobedience Movement (1921 to 1937)
Day 14- Communists/ Swarajists/ Civil Disobedience Movement (1921 to 1937)
Day 15- Communists/ Swarajists/ Civil Disobedience Movement (1921 to 1937)
Day 16- Communists/ Swarajists/ Civil Disobedience Movement (1921 to 1937)
Day 17- Communists/ Swarajists/ Civil Disobedience Movement (1921 to 1937)
Day 18- Communists/ Swarajists/ Civil Disobedience Movement (1921 to 1937)
Day 19- Towards Freedom (1937- 47)
Day 20- RESERVE DAY
Day 21- Towards Freedom (1937- 47)
Day 22- Towards Freedom (1937- 47)
Day 23- Towards Freedom (1937- 47)
Day 24- Towards Freedom (1937- 47)
Day 25- Towards Freedom (1937- 47)
Day 26- Misc Topics (Kisan/ Tribal Movement, Development Of Education/ Press)
Day 27- Misc Topics (Kisan/ Tribal Movement, Development Of Education/ Press)
Day 28- Misc Topics (Kisan/ Tribal Movement, Development Of Education/ Press)
Day 29- Misc Topics (Kisan/ Tribal Movement, Development Of Education/ Press)
Day 30- RESERVE DAY.
Reserve Days are cushions to accommodate unforeseen events. An automatic slack is provided to ensure the religious adherence to the rigid plan. If you are not able to follow your plan that’s the indication of danger which is timely sensed. Make corrections in your habits and try again.
Here its also worth mentioning, if you miss a topic to complete upto your satisfaction level don’t spoil your whole plan by making adjustments in the plan itself. Just move on. Mark the topic to identify it later. And preserve the sheet to remind you later about the topics you are weak in.
Similar DMP is to be prepared for the optional which will go hand in hand with the GS.
Prepare them and PASTE THEM ON YOUR WALL. “FB wall” nahi re lallu! The wall against your study table else your cozy bed which is mostly used by us for study purposes. Hope you have a study table and you actually use it seldom. Sometimes I am so optimistic be it Pakistan or studies
Now move on to next and last layer of our planning.
III .Daily Planning (Tailor Made/ Instantaneous)-
• Assumption here is one is able to read 10-12 hours. 2 hours for news paper/ magazine. Rest 10 hours for GS and one optional. So it comes out to be 5 hour for each.
• So, that is all for planning. Here we have understood how difficult work our Planning Commission is doing! Apart from planning one more important thing is Self Feedback Mechanism to ensure the good implementation.
• For this I used to paste a separate chart- HOUR COUNT CHART (HCC) -indicating number of hours I used to study per day. If you have a room partner its advised to paste both the HCCs side by side for better comparison.
• This was a mirror to prove me LAZY which my mummy used to call me since childhood and I never accepted the established fact till then.
Lets sum it up,
• After reading the whole Mahabharat you should be convinced enough to have 3 charts on your wall- two DMPs and one HCC.
• I never named them when I used them like DMP/HCC etc. Just coined the terms to better differentiate and understand. Its also easy to ask questions regarding them after naming them. So pardon me jargonizing the write up considering it a necessary evil. I just hate it.
• It was a great time to prepare this way. Feeling nostalgic to remember my room partner Mr Raj Prakash Singh who was very fond of doing this exercise. He was very supportive and we studied whole of the GS together like this only.
NB- its an humble request to all those handful of readers who have reached till the last line to SHARE THIS STATUS so as to benefit the maximum as I have invested a lot of time to conceptualize and type this write-up.
With best wishes,
Swarochish Somvanshi,
• AIR-49 (CSE 2011)
• AIR-575 (CSE 2009)
