Lakhs of candidate appear every year for CSE, but very few of them get into the final list. Those who do it, they stick to a disciplined schedule. They know how to effectively utilize their time. Time management is very crucial in the success of this exam. So, plan your day effectively, so that your success comes to you surely.
Benefits of adhering to a time table:
- It gives you a sense of direction especially when you see plethora of books and vast study materials. What to study and when to study, you can allocate time accordingly.
- It helps you to cover entire syllabus in time as you would be preparing timetable according to the time period available to you (say 1 year) and considering the magnanimity of the syllabus.
- It helps you remain focused as you know what you have to do and when.
- It helps in performing well in test series as you would be prepared well, if you properly follow timetable.
- It helps beat stress. With proper adhering to a timetable, you would be ready and able to perform well to the best of your abilities. It helps avoid stress and perform better in exam.
- It improves your productivity as your studies are well planned and streamlined, it helps to avoid confusion and your efficiency increases.
- Adhering to a effective timetable also helps periodic assessment of your performance through test series or self evaluation. So you can better work on your weak spot and rectify error.
- Adhering to time table also helps you to find time for enjoyment, entertainment, spending time for your hobbies. All these will help break the monotony developed during long hours of study.
What is required to follow a proper timetable?
- Long term objectives: It is very essential that you plan your day or follow a timetable taking into account long term perspective. Break the long term goal into mini goals and do the need full. Finally integrate all the mini goals into the final goal and you will achieve the target. Break your studies in such a way that you finish the whole syllabus on time.
- Honesty: To achieve success in this exam, just making a good timetable is not enough, you need to honestly and sincerely adhere to it, or else it will be just on paper.
- Discipline: Once you have prepared a time table, you need to maintain a discipline and whole heartedly put effort to adhere to your time table. If you have to wake up every day at 5 am, means it should be 5 am. You can take a break from disciplined schedule once in a while but generally you have to maintain discipline for the effective gain. Without disciplined effort, it will just be a paper work.
- Perseverance: Perseverance refers to your persistence strong determination to achieve something despite it being difficult. Once you formulated a timetable follow it religiously.
- Target setting: You should set your daily target and once you have set, achieve it. But target setting should be realistic and too ambitious to be failed.
- Daily achievement: Maintain a diary of your daily achievement. What you did today? Did you adhere to the time table? Did you achieved your target?
- Weekly performance evaluation: You can test yourself what you have studied in the whole week, and how effectively you did it. It will help you keeping track of your performance and improvements.
- Maintain your Health: Managing your health is very important because without proper health, you will not be able to put your effort. So do take good care of it. Eat right, on time and follow a proper exercise regime.
Model Time Table for Civil Services Aspirants:
|
Time |
Activity |
Remarks |
|
5 am |
Wake up and freshen up |
Be an early riser, it is said that early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. It’s a universal truth. So, wake up early, if not by 5 at least by 6 am, you should leave your bed |
|
5.15 to 6 am |
Do some exercise like running, jogging, yoga, meditation |
It is very important to remain fit and healthy to be productive. Exercise improves blood circulation, builds stamina and improves concentration. So, devote time for this important exercise. Don’t think it as waste of time. |
|
6.30 to 8.30 am |
Study session 1 |
After taking few minutes break after exercise you should for your study. This is the morning hour and first session of your study, your mind would be most fresh, so take up to study most difficult subject you find |
|
8.30 to 9 am |
Breakfast time |
Take healthy and fulfilling breakfast. Many people have a habit of skipping breakfast, its not healthy habit. It is the most important part of your meal which provide energy throughout the day. So, have proper breakfast. |
|
9 to 10 am |
Newspaper |
Read newspaper thoroughly according to the requirement of syllabus. It will keep you update about current affairs. Don’t skip, make it a part of your daily routine. |
|
10.15 to 1 pm |
Study session 2 |
After a 15 mins of break after reading newspaper, you should seat for the second slot of study. You can take other subject than the one you have studied in first slot to break the monotony. Say if you have taken history in first slot you can take up economy or polity in this slot. In this study session, you can take a 15-20 mins break in between. |
|
1 to 2 pm |
Lunch break |
Avoid having heavy lunch, it will make you feel lethargic. So, include some fruits and salad to make your lunch light, so that you can concentrate to your study after lunch. |
|
2 to 5 pm |
Study session 3 |
It’s a post lunch schedule. So, take up subject which you feel more interesting, so that you can enjoy studying and not feel sleepy or lethargic. You can take a small nap of half an hour in between if you want. |
|
5 to 5.30 pm |
Tea and snacks break |
You can concentrate for long, so you need to take a small tea and snacks break, freshen up yourself for the next study session. |
|
5.30 to 6 pm |
Extracurricular activities/Hobbies/sports |
To break the monotony from long hours of study and recharge yourself, you can devote half an hour for some sports you are invested in or spending time with family/ friends, take up some time for your hobbies – singing, dancing, reading. Anything that evokes your interests. It will help you to relax and beat the accumulated stress. |
|
6 to 8.30 pm |
Study session 4 |
After a refreshing break, if you have devoted the first 3 session for general studies subject, now you can take up optional subject, or you can also keep one hour for group discussions with friends. GD can be taken at any point of time as per your convenience. It is very important exercise as you may get different viewpoints on same matter. |
|
8.30 to 9.30 pm |
Dinner break |
Dinner should be light as you would go to bed by 10 or 10.30, along with dinner you can utilise your time for listening to Rajya Sabha/Lok Sabha TV or All India Radio news analysis. Can do some light walking after dinner. |
|
10 or 10.30 pm |
Go to bed |
As you have to wake up early in the morning next day, Go to bed by 10 or 10. 30 pm, take a sound sleep, recharge your body for the next day. |
Caution: The above-mentioned table is just a model daily schedule. It can be modified as per the candidates’ study schedule/pattern.