10+ Sample Weekly Study Schedule

What Is a Weekly Study Schedule?

A weekly study schedule is a guide that can help students foster better study habits with the aim of improving academic performance. It is a schedule or timetable that helps instill organizational skills and discipline in the student.

According to an online article by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, merely reading the text may not necessarily be enough when studying. But to actually immerse oneself and form a meaningful connection to a particular reading or material, one needs to engage himself or herself fully. By coming up with examples, relating academic material to your own experiences, and regulating your own learning, you are engaging in active studying. 

Study Tips for Students

Not all people have the same strategies and techniques when it comes to their studies. What works for one student may not necessarily work out for another. With that being said, these basic tips might help you improve your study habits. All it takes is practice and commitment, and you can be sure to find one that works for you. 

Optimize your energy level. It is no secret that there are people who call themselves ‘morning persons’, and some who consider themselves ‘night owls’. The energy levels of the former are typically higher during the daytime then steadily dip as the day progresses. For the night owl, mornings can feel dragging and tiring; while their energy levels peak in the evenings. This may be applicable to professionals and adults, but it may also apply to students in school to some extent as well. The point is that it is up to the individual to structure his days according to his or her energy levels. Sufficient energy management calls for a keen self-awareness in order to figure out the best way and the best time to study. For instance, if you know that your energy levels plunge in the late afternoon, perhaps you can schedule most of your tasks that require more energy in the morning or earlier in the day. Get enough rest. Without sufficient rest and sleep, your brain and body cannot function optimally. Countless studies and scientific research have long established the important connection between sleep and health. During school days and especially when exams come around, it is absolutely vital that you get enough sleep. Information and memory are better retained and solidified with good sleep hygiene. A brain that is deprived of sleep cannot get the full benefits of learning and information processing. Create a timetable. Setting aside time to study requires a lot of discipline and focus. It is important for students who want to excel in their academics to be committed to study time. Creating a schedule- be it weekly or daily- can already be very helpful. The important thing is to make time for it. Just like any habit, it will always take some getting used to and a little bit of practice. But with time, it will eventually get easier and will feel more and more like second nature. Not only will creating a timetable cultivate your organization skills, it can foster a sense of discipline and responsibility. Form a study group. Some subjects or courses are harder than others, and self-study may not be enough for some people. It might be helpful to form a study group of your own. It can be a small, intimate group of trusted friends or classmates. Having other people there with you while studying can be beneficial in many meaningful ways. There could be a lot of potential insights to be gained and lessons learned that may not have come to you otherwise. More minds put together means more ideas are being shared. Do not underestimate the power of note-taking. Most students from a young age were always taught to copy the board during class. But it’s important to note that there is more to taking down notes than pure memorization. For a lot of people, writing important notes down helps them understand the lesson better. It is useful to look back at your own notes as you remember, consolidate, and connect information. You are not just reviewing notes, but are actually actively remembering concepts and ideas. So the next time you are in class, try to listen attentively so you can note down key points and main ideas. Summarize the lessons. A key part of learning is connecting related concepts and ideas. Textbooks and modules are usually divided into chapters and sections. To make sure you fully comprehend all of these, it might be helpful to recap each part and summarize all of its main points. This might make proceeding to the next chapter easier and smoother. Further, it is also a good idea to make your own study guide if you have the time. Doing this combines note-taking and maximizes its benefits.

Skills Needed to Cultivate Good Study Habits

There are certain skills that every student needs in order to fully optimize learning and good study habits. Any student would do well to nurture these skills if they want to improve their academic performance.

Time Management: Effective time management is crucial to setting a study schedule. Since you are making time or setting aside time to study, you are consciously exerting the effort to do so. Obviously, there may be plenty of topics to cover and different subject matters to attend to. It is precisely why proper time management is key. Allotting a particular time to each subject will allow you to cover all lessons adequately. But of course, it will also depend on you which subjects you yourself want to devote more time to. In summary, managing your time well is crucial if you want to avoid cramming and procrastination. Discipline: Time management takes discipline. And without discipline, it will be harder to cultivate the rest of the skills needed to establish good study habits. Self-control and regulation go hand-in-hand with discipline. If you want to excel in your studies, discipline is perhaps the most core skill that is required. This means you need to have the willingness and diligence to prioritize your studies and stay committed to it. Discipline can be illustrated even in the simplest of choices. The student who chooses to commit to her study schedule will avoid distractions such as social media or smartphones. She exhibits enough discipline to know that mindlessly scrolling on social media will only hamper her study time. Planning and Preparation: It is not enough to have the determination to study, it must be coupled with the right action as well. The act of creating a weekly study schedule is one way of preparation. To study well, you must also know how to plan well. This is also deeply linked to both time management and discipline because studying is essentially an act of preparing. It is the conscious effort to chart the proper action plan in anticipation of a class, exam or test. Self-awareness: A key skill for anyone to succeed- not just in academics, but in life in general- is self-awareness. If you want to truly maximize your study time, you must have a general idea of who you are and what motivates you. For instance, it might be absolutely helpful to determine the best way for you to study. If you can figure out the learning style that suits you, it will make more sense to you personally and thus, allow you to fully reap the benefits of studying. Now it is important to note that self-awareness does not occur overnight. It takes years of trial and error, plus tons of practice and reflection.

How to Create a Weekly Study Schedule

The sample schedules above will make it easier for you to create your own weekly study timetable. Save time and energy with the simple and ready-made templates above. Choose the template that best suits your preferences and follow the simple steps below.  

Step 1: Set Weekly Goals

If you decide to commit to a weekly study schedule, it might be helpful to reflect on your goals first. Setting realistic objectives and attainable goals can help you stick to your commitments especially when you are faced with challenges. It is not a matter of if you will encounter trials and hardship, but only a matter of how you can prepare for them. With goal-setting, it can be as simple as getting an above-average mark in a particular subject or dedicating 4-6 hours of study to cover an entire topic.      

Step 2: Create a Timetable

A study schedule demands order and an element of time. With a timetable, it is much easier to plot or track one’s subjects and progress. Since it is a personal schedule, you decide how it will be presented. The sample templates above might offer some ideas and help you decide on a format. The two elements to any timetable are the date and time. So make sure to enumerate the days of the week and the specific time slots.   

Step 3: Fill in the Table

You can create a table using basic Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Word. After setting up the table layout, fill in the boxes with the corresponding subjects and/or classes. You can modify the timetable as you see fit. Changes are inevitable, and it is important to allow some flexibility in your schedule. Keeping a schedule that is too rigid can end up being counterproductive.     

Step 4: Make it Creative 

The last step is optional but highly encouraged. A simple and basic study schedule is fine but it does not hurt to get a little creative. To make your schedule more visually appealing, you can add imagery and play around with different colors and fonts. You will find a lot of predesigned templates online that you can easily customize to make your own. There is a lot of room for creativity and resourcefulness; you just need to find a way to express it. 

FAQs

How do I make a weekly study schedule?

To make a weekly study schedule, you need to prepare and organize your information. In order to fill out a timetable or schedule, you would need the right information to complete your table. You need a general idea of the subjects you want to focus on. Once you have that, you can create your timetable. Indicate the days of the week above as the first row of your table. Place the time in the first column. The different templates above can also serve as a reference guide when you make your weekly study schedule.

What is a weekly study schedule?

A weekly study schedule is intentionally setting aside some time each day and every week to cover different subjects and study various topics. It is simply being proactive in one’s studies and learning. By maintaining a schedule to follow, you are in effect studying regularly and making the effort to improve your academic performance.

What is the best schedule for study?

The best schedule for studying depends entirely upon the individual. No one two people are the same. What works for one student does not always mean it will yield the same results for another. In order to know what works for you, you need a keen sense of self-awareness and enough motivation to study. To illustrate, if you feel that you are more productive and energetic in the morning or if you consider yourself an auditory type of learner; you can structure your study habits around these two factors.

With the right perspective or mindset, studying can become more than just a chore or academic requirement. Figuring out the best way for you to maximize learning and comprehension is a challenging but worthwhile task. Choose from a wide selection of printable templates above, and find one that suits your needs to begin customizing your own weekly study schedule now!