Study Skills: Laptops

I received an email from Ihsan in Malaysia last night. He said:

I read your Time Management Tips - Efficiency and am interested in the words, "Keep a notebook with you and write down how you spend every minute of that day." Do you have a tip for managing time using a laptop, or does using a laptop waste time?

Good question, Ihsan. The quick answer is that it depends on a lot of things. Our Study Skills tip this week addresses using a laptop in the classroom for taking notes. There are definite pros and cons.

For keeping track of how you spend every minute in a day, though, Ihsan, I would use a little notebook that fits in a pocket or purse. The idea in the time management tip you quoted was to do this for just one day to show how well you use your time, or don't. Most people are surprised by how much time they waste doing things that don't matter. Because it's important to identify how you use almost every minute, it would be cumbersome to tote around a laptop all day long.

Do you have questions about being an efficient student? Ask them here, or in the Continuing Education Forum.