UPSC Civil Services Examination, in practical is one of the longest duration examination processes in the country. The stages of the exam are spread over almost a year and if you couple this with the average preparation time required to ace the exam, the amount of time is huge. Discipline is a very key prerequisite for any UPSC aspirant. The exam preparation requires a continuous and effective effort to cover up all the important topics. So, time-management in this sense becomes a very important facet of the exam.
Following are some of the tips and strategies as to how you can effectively manage your time so that you don’t lag behind in a game of ‘Fine Margins’:
Time is the most important resource for anyone on the earth. It is even more important for the UPSC aspirants. To put thing into perspective, every aspirant has got the same 24-hour day and night cycle. Whether you can succeed or not solely depends on how effectively one can utilize the available time to get into the best preparation mode. And for that to happen you need to have a robust plan in place right from the start.
- Create a Pragmatic Timetable:
There is a general notion among the aspirants that in order to streamline preparations, they must follow a strict timetable with no room for refreshment. Such a plan is bound to fail in the longer run and gradually becomes difficult to continue. It would be wise to set smaller targets first in terms of days, weeks and months. This will provide you with flexibility of managing things more properly. Be realistic…!!!! Prepare a suitable timetable for yourself.
- Break and Ace:
Remember the age-old British Policy – Divide and Rule?? Well, the policy in a positive can be very effective for UPSC aspirants. Try breaking down a particular subject into smaller portions as per your convenience. This will do make workload lighter. Finishing smaller portions will give you a sense of achievement and carry forward this confidence for further topics. Pick a bottom-top approach. Easier topics first and gradually scaling the tougher ones.
- Identify your perfect study timing:
Preparing to become a future bureaucrat requires you to be smart and swift in your approach. Slogging for hours together might not be that fruitful. Identify the timings where you can sit for atleast 2-3 hours at a stretch and try having such 3-4 sessions a day. Poor organizing of study timings result in students finding it more and more difficult to cope with the vastness of the UPSC syllabus. Having multiple study sessions will help you keep a track of your progress and more importantly the syllabus can be easily dealt off with.
- Don’t go overboard:
UPSC only wants the aspirants to have a general awareness of all the related topics. You need not be a specialized on any of the subjects. Sticking to any particular topic for longer period of time will only cause boredom. Such a situation may bereave you of crucial time which could have been invested in other subjects. Know when to put the brakes and move on. You can always fall back to them albeit time permits you to do so.
- Take Breaks, Keep yourself Fresh:
To retain so many things in your mind, you must keep your brain fresh all the time. For this, slip in some break times in your study schedule. Go out, watch a movie, spend time with friends or just go out for a stroll. But be particular, you don’t get indulge in ‘chai-pe-charcha’ kind of things.
- Stay loyal to your Plans:
Majority of students have this habit of starting strong with a plan and everything. But the buzz and enthusiasm gradually fizzles out with time. This should not be the case if you are preparing for UPSC. You know what kind of plan might work best for you. Just stick to it, no matter what. Those it is commendable to be upon to new ideas but keep in mind the year-long process of UPSC. If you fail once, you have to get through the torturous phase once again. Be innovative, you can bring about slight changes suiting to the existing plan but a complete makeover might not work.
They say “Time and Tide waits for none” and rightly so. In this age of high level competition, a single blip can crash you out of the contention to bag those coveted posts. Respect the time you have and make full use of it.
We hope with this article, we have made it pretty clear the importance of effective time management for UPSC aspirants. Follow these to build a prospective and well-balanced exam strategy for the UPSC CSE preparation and see yourself at the pinnacle of success.
