Starting your studies can be exciting but also overwhelming. And if you’re a studying by distance learning you need to manage your time and maintain motivation. So, making a study plan is a great way to make sure you start your studies in the right way.
A well-structured plan is key to a successful learning experience. It ensures you start your studies correctly, helps you use your time effectively, and achieve your educational goals.
By creating a plan tailored to your goals, lifestyle, and learning preferences, you can cut stress, boost retention, and build a consistent study routine. In this article, help you create an effective study plan and share useful tips to help you maximise your learning potential.
1. Get SMART: Set Clear and Attainable Goals
Start by asking yourself: ‘What are my study objectives?’
What do you want to achieve? Are you preparing for an exam, mastering a particular subject, or acquiring new skills?
Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Clear goals will help you stay focused and motivated throughout your learning journey.
Example SMART goal:
❌ "I want to get better at accounting."
✅ "I will complete three AAT practice tests within the next month and aim for a score of at least 80%."
Setting short-term and long-term goals can also help you measure progress. For instance, short-term goals could involve completing a specific chapter or mastering a complex topic, while long-term goals may focus on passing an exam or completing a qualification.
2. Assess Your Available Time
Have a look at your schedule and determine the amount of time you can devote to studying each day or week. Consider how you can fit your studies around work, family, and personal activities. Try to be realistic, make sure that your study time is manageable and consistent. By understanding your time constraints, you can set a study routine that fits into your lifestyle.
✍️ Tips for effective time management:
- Use a study planner or calendar (digital or paper) to block out study sessions.
- Break large study blocks into smaller, focused sessions (e.g., 25–45 minutes).
- Identify your peak productivity hours – are you more alert in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
- Plan buffer time for catching up if you miss a session.
💡 Example study schedule:
✅ Monday & Wednesday (7:00 – 8:30 PM): Study financial statements
✅ Friday (5:00 – 6:00 PM): Revise key concepts and take practice quizzes
✅ Sunday (10:00 – 12:00 PM): Complete question bank under timed conditions
📌 Free Resource: Download our free study planner template to organise your weekly study schedule effectively.
3. Identify Your Learning Style
Everyone has a preferred style of learning, whether it's visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic. Find out which learning methods work best for you and incorporate them. For example, if you're a visual learner, use diagrams, charts, and colour-coded notes. If you're an auditory learner, try recording and listening to lectures or discussing concepts with a study partner. Change your study techniques to fit your learning style to improve retention and understanding.
🧠 Common learning styles:
- Visual learners – Benefit from diagrams, mind maps, and colour-coded notes.
- Auditory learners – Prefer listening to explanations, using podcasts, or discussing topics with others.
- Kinaesthetic learners – Learn best through hands-on activities, practical exercises, and teaching others.
💡 Tip: If you're unsure about your learning style, try experimenting with different methods and see which one helps you retain information best.
4. Break Down the Material into Bite-Size Pieces
Split your learning material into less intimidating bite-size chunks or topics. Breaking down the content keeps things more organised and structured. Create a list of topics or chapters to cover, and assign realistic timelines. This lets you track progress and provides a sense of accomplishment as you complete each section.
📌 How to structure your study topics:
✅ Make a list of key chapters or topics.
✅ Assign a timeline to cover each topic.
✅ Group similar topics together for better understanding.
💡 Example for an accounting student:
- Week 1: Financial statements (Balance Sheets & Profit and Loss Accounts)
- Week 2: Costing methods (Marginal vs Absorption Costing)
- Week 3: Taxation principles (VAT, Corporation Tax)
Breaking your studies into small chunks reduces procrastination and makes it easier to track progress.
5. Prioritise and Allocate Study Time
Prioritise your study topics based on their importance and level of difficulty. Devote more time to challenging subjects while maintaining a balance across different areas. Try dedicating focused study sessions to specific topics. This will help you delve deeper and comprehend the material more thoroughly.
📌 Prioritisation strategies:
✅ High-priority topics – Topics with high exam weightage or areas where you struggle.
✅ Medium-priority topics – Areas where you have moderate understanding but need revision.
✅ Low-priority topics – Topics you’re already comfortable with but still need reviewing.
💡 Example: If you find "Variance Analysis" challenging but are confident in "Ledger Entries," spend more time practising variance-related problems.
6. Incorporate Active Learning Strategies
Reading is great, but it’s a passive activity. On its own, it is unlikely to be enough to truly grasp and retain information. Active learning strategies can boost your understanding and engagement. You could practice problem-solving, create flashcards- or even try teaching the material to others. You could take part in study groups or discussions, and use online interactive resources. Actively engaging with the material promotes deeper learning and improves long-term retention.
🔥 Active learning techniques:
- Practice questions – Use question banks or past exam papers.
- Flashcards – Create digital or physical flashcards for key terms and formulas.
- Teach someone else – Explaining concepts to others improves understanding.
- Mind maps & diagrams – Visual representations help with complex topics.
💡 Tip: Studies show that students who actively engage with material retain 50% more information than those who passively read.
7. Schedule Regular Reviews and Practice
Regularly review topics you have already covered to reinforce your understanding. You could set specific time slots for review sessions. And you could use practice exercises, quizzes, or mock exams to assess your progress and identify areas where you need extra help. Continuous practice and review are vital.
📌 How to review effectively:
✅ Use the Spaced Repetition Method – Revise topics at increasing intervals (e.g., after 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, etc.).
✅ Take mock tests under timed conditions to simulate exam scenarios.
✅ Track progress using a study log to see which areas need improvement.
💡 Example review schedule:
- Monday: Review last week’s notes for 30 minutes.
- Wednesday: Take a practice quiz on recently studied material.
- Sunday: Complete a full practice test and analyse mistakes.
8. Adapt and Fine-Tune as Needed
Your study plan is not set in stone. Revise it as you gain insights into your learning process, and be open to making adjustments. If you find certain techniques or time allocations are not effective, be flexible and change it. Regularly test your progress, revise your goals, and refine your plan to make sure it stays aligned with your changing needs.
📌 How to adjust your study plan:
✅ If a study method isn’t effective, try a different one.
✅ If you miss a session, don’t stress—reschedule it.
✅ Regularly assess your progress and make improvements.
💡 Tip: Keep a study journal to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. This will help you refine your approach over time.
Conclusion
Creating a study plan is an effective way to promote effective learning and reach your goals. By setting clear objectives, managing your time, identifying your learning style, breaking down the material, prioritising topics, incorporating active learning strategies, scheduling reviews and practice, and remaining adaptable, you can optimise your learning potential.
Follow your personalised study plan, and watch your knowledge and skills flourish.
