Study smart – plan your studies

Planning is about how you choose to organise and use your time in order to achieve a specific goal. Good planning can help you feel more in control of your studies and that your time is sufficient for what you need to do, which also has a positive impact on your well‑being. Just like the skills you practice and develop in your education, you can also train and improve your ability to plan and to follow your plan.

It is useful to start from long‑term goals, such as the objective for your current course module, and break them down into short‑term goals, for example weekly goals and daily goals. It is important that the goal is concrete and clear, specifying what you will do, where, when, and for how long.

At the end of each week, you can briefly evaluate what worked well and what worked less well, so you can adjust your goals for the coming week.

Reflect on where you should study, which times work best, how many and how long breaks you need, and which study techniques are most effective for the phase you’re in. For example, it may be too exhausting and demotivating to deep‑read a difficult, thick book from cover to cover, or to set overly high standards for your writing when you’re at the beginning of a thesis project. Try to adjust your level of ambition and focus on the right things in different phases of your studies.

During moments, days, or periods when you for various reasons feel more unmotivated, you may need to practice your ability to “get over the threshold” despite feelings of resistance, boredom, or performance anxiety. There are several factors that indirectly influence motivation, and you cannot control your motivation through willpower alone. Therefore, you need to make wise decisions in the moment despite negative emotions. Perhaps you need more rewards, shorter study sessions, or longer breaks when it’s particularly hard to get started. You will get through motivational dips more easily if you do something rather than nothing at all — not studying for several days or weeks usually doesn’t help either your motivation or the feelings that hinder your studies.

When you lack motivation, it can also help to remind yourself of your long‑term goals. What made you apply for this course or program? Are you driven by interest in the subject, by the fact that it’s fun or challenging and that you want to learn more? Or are you motivated by future career opportunities and higher salary? We are often motivated by several things, so reflect on what is rewarding for you — even if it lies further ahead.

When setting goals, it’s not uncommon to set goals that are too ambitious and difficult to achieve. This can contribute to a feeling of not being capable, even though you have actually accomplished quite a lot. One useful tip is therefore to set both long‑term and short‑term goals for yourself, where the long‑term goal is the big goal, and the short‑term goals are the ones you need to reach along the way.

It may take time to learn how to set realistic goals that work for you. A commonly shared recommendation is to use so‑called SMART goals. This means that the goals should be Specific, Measurable, Accepted, Realistic, and Time‑bound. However, the most important thing is that your goals are clear and concrete.

Example: Read chapters 2–3 in the course book, 9:00–12:00, at the library.

• Specific (Yes – read chapters 2–3)
• Measurable (Yes – you can measure how much you have read)
• Accepted (Yes – if you are prepared to work toward the goal)
• Realistic (Yes – if you trust that you can manage the goal)
• Time‑bound (Yes – 9:00–12:00)

Another piece of advice is to start with goals that are relatively easy to achieve within a short time period. As you get to know the course, the studies, and how you yourself function, you can gradually increase and challenge yourself a bit more.