Course Catalog / BMU 001 / Lesson 2 of 5
BMU 001
Lesson 2: Find your 15 minutes
Quick review
1. What goes on your learning goal card?
See the answer
Your goal, the skill it needs, one course, and your confidence number.
2. Why start with only one course?
See the answer
One at a time is easier to finish. Then pick the next one.
Why this matters
Most adults do not have free hours. You have work, family, and a phone that keeps buzzing. The good news is that you do not need hours. Short, planned study times add up.
In this lesson you will find three 15 minute study times in your week and lock them in.
Start with what you already do
You already plan things that matter. You set an alarm for work. You plan when to pick up your kids.
Common belief: I will study when I have free time.
What is actually true: Free time rarely shows up on its own. A plan with a set time and place works better. Researchers call this an if, then plan. In a review of 94 studies, people who made this kind of plan reached their goals more often than people who only set a goal (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006).
In this lesson you will
- Find three 15 minute study times in your week
- Write each one as a when and where plan
- Set a phone reminder for each study time
Key words
- study time
- A short, set time when you work on a lesson.
- when and where plan
- A plan that names the day, the time, and the place, like: Monday at 7 p.m. at the kitchen table.
- reminder
- An alarm or calendar alert on your phone.
Look for small gaps
Look at a normal week. Find times that are already quiet. Here are places adults often find 15 minutes:
- Lunch break at work
- On the bus or train
- After the kids go to bed
- Before others wake up
- While waiting at an appointment
Fifteen minutes is enough for part of a lesson or one practice quiz. Three times a week is 45 minutes. In a month, that is about three hours.
Make a when and where plan
A loose goal like study more is easy to skip. A clear plan is easy to follow. Use this form:
When it is (day and time), I will study for 15 minutes at (place).
Text version of this figure
The when and where plan. Turn I should study into a plan you can keep.
- Red flag: loose goal: I will study when I have time.
- Step 1, Pick the when: Monday at 7 p.m.
- Step 2, Pick the where: Kitchen table, phone on quiet.
- Step 3, Set a reminder: Phone alarm named BMU study.
- Plan you can keep: Monday at 7 p.m. I study for 15 minutes at the kitchen table.
Source: Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006).
Protect the time
- Set a phone alarm or calendar alert with a name, like BMU study.
- Put your phone on quiet, or turn off alerts, for those 15 minutes.
- Tell one person in your home about your plan.
- If you miss a time, do not quit. Just make the next one.
Worked example: Marcus finds his times
Marcus drives a delivery van and has two kids. He looks at his week.
- Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.: lunch break, in the van.
- Thursday at 9 p.m.: after the kids are in bed, at the kitchen table.
- Saturday at 8 a.m.: before the house wakes up, on the couch.
He sets three phone alarms named BMU study. On Thursday he is too tired. He does five minutes and stops. That still counts. Marcus is a made up example.
Worked example 2: Tia fixes a plan that did not stick
Tia wrote: I will study this weekend. The weekend came, and she did not study. Nothing told her when or where.
She rewrites it and ties it to something she already does: Sunday at 4 p.m., after I fold the laundry, I will study for 15 minutes at the kitchen table. She sets a phone alarm named BMU study. The next Sunday, the laundry reminds her, and she studies.
Tia is a made up example.
Practice: Fix the loose plans
Two of these plans are loose. One is ready. Find the ready one, then rewrite the other two with a day, a time, and a place.
- I will study more.
- I will study at night.
- Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. I will study for 15 minutes in my car on my lunch break.
Check your practice: feedback
- Loose. Rewrite, for example: Monday at 7 p.m. I will study for 15 minutes at the kitchen table.
- Loose. At night is not a time and has no place. Rewrite, for example: Thursday at 9 p.m., after the kids are in bed, I will study on the couch.
- Ready. It has a day, a time, a place, and how long.
Common mistakes
- Planning one long session. Short and steady beats long and rare.
- Picking a time that is often busy. Choose a gap that is already quiet.
- No reminder. Set an alarm so you do not have to remember.
Try it: Lock in three study times
Pick your scenario:
- My week has a set work schedule
- My work schedule changes each week
- I am home most days
- Look at your week, day by day.
- Find three quiet 15 minute gaps.
- Write each as a when and where plan.
- Set a phone alarm for each one.
- Add the three times to your learning goal card.
Do it by: tomorrow
Reflect
What usually gets in the way of your plans? What is one way around it?
Check your understanding
1. Which is a clear when and where plan?
- I will study more this week.
- I will study when things calm down.
- Wednesday at 6 a.m. I will study at the table.
See the answer and feedback
C is correct. Yes. It names the day, time, and place.
A: There is no day, time, or place. Review Make a when and where plan.
B: That time may never come. Review Make a when and where plan.
2. Rosa misses her Tuesday study time. What should she do?
- Do the next planned time.
- Do two study times the next day to catch up.
- Wait until next month.
See the answer and feedback
A is correct. Yes. One missed time is normal. Keep going.
B: Cramming two times into one day is harder to keep up. Just do the next planned time. Review Protect the time.
C: Waiting breaks the habit. Review Protect the time.
3. Three 15 minute study times a week add up to about how much in a month?
- 45 minutes
- 3 hours
- 15 hours
See the answer and feedback
B is correct. Yes. 45 minutes a week for about four weeks is about 3 hours.
A: That is one week. Review Look for small gaps.
C: That is too high. 45 times 4 is 180 minutes, or 3 hours.
Takeaway: your 15 minutes
- Fifteen minutes, three times a week, is about three hours a month
- Write each time as day, time, and place
- Tie it to something you already do
- Missed one? Do the next one
Recap
- You do not need hours. Fifteen minutes works.
- Find quiet gaps you already have.
- Write a when and where plan for each one.
- Set a reminder and protect the time.
You now have: three planned 15 minute study times with phone reminders.
Next up
Next you will learn study tricks that work better than reading the same page again. Go to Lesson 3: Study tricks that work.
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