Core Time-Management Rules

The 20% Rule (Weekly Consolidation)

This rule applies from September to March.

Rule: At least 20% of your weekly study time must be allocated to revising older topics and practising exam questions.

Why Students Fail Without It

• They learn linearly and ignore older content
• They rely on memory instead of reinforcement
• They are forced to re-learn everything before exams

Core Problem: The forgetting curve guarantees that unrevised content decays.

Implementation

If you study 10 hours per week:

• 8 hours = new content
• 2 hours = consolidation (non-negotiable)

Approved Activities (20% Block)

• Topic question packs
• Past paper questions
• On-Demand Class recordings
• Targeted retrieval practice

Rule: Passive review (reading notes) does not count.

The Easter Content Cutoff

This is a non-negotiable strategic deadline.

Rule: All new content must be completed by the end of March.

Why This Exists

• Schools often finish content too late
• Students are left with no time to train exam performance
• Exam technique is what determines final grades

Required Behaviour

• Take control of your learning pace
• Use TT resources to finish content early if needed

Post-Easter Rule

From Easter onwards: 100% focus on past papers and the TT Revision Method.

Action & Focus Tools

1. Action Hours

Action Hours are the core unit of productivity in the TT system.

Structure:

• 45 minutes focused work
• 15 minutes enforced break

Why Traditional Studying Fails

• Long sessions lead to fatigue
• No clear objective
• Frequent distractions

Execution Rules

• Define one specific task before starting
• Remove all distractions (phone away)
• Work on one task only
• Do not switch tasks mid-session

Critical Rule: If focus breaks, reset — do not drift.

Break Rule: The 15-minute break is mandatory.

2. Action Hour Bank

This removes decision fatigue.

Core Principle: You should never waste time deciding what to do.

How It Works

• Build a list of tasks from your M.I.D sheet and Progress Tracker
• Each task must be specific and actionable

Scheduling Rule:

• Schedule time blocks (not tasks)
• Select the task at execution based on priority and energy

3. The Two-Minute Rule

A tool to overcome starting resistance.

Rule: Work for 2 minutes only.

This removes psychological friction and builds momentum.

Mindset & Emotional Interventions

Stand Up & Decide

Used to eliminate “limbo” (half-working, half-distracted).

Rule:

• Stand up physically
• Make a binary decision:
  • Work with 100% focus
  • Take a full break

No middle state is allowed.

Emotional Awareness & Needs Assessment

Low focus is often caused by unmet needs.

• Hunger
• Dehydration
• Fatigue
• Stress

Rule: Fix the cause, not the symptom.

Free Writing

A 5-minute mental reset.

• Write continuously
• No structure or editing

Outcome: Clears cognitive clutter before the next Action Hour.

Scheduling & Roadmaps

The TT Weekly Study Planner

This is an adaptive system, not a rigid timetable.

Why Rigid Timetables Fail

• Assume equal weighting across topics
• Ignore evolving weaknesses

Core Rule: Your plan must adapt based on data (M.I.D + Progress Tracker).

Additional Rule: One full rest day per week is mandatory.

Year 12 Roadmap

• Sept–March: 80% learning / 20% consolidation
• April–May: Full AS papers
• June–August: 1 AS paper per month (maintenance)

Year 13 Roadmap

• Sept–March: 80% learning / 10% revision / 10% AS papers
• April–June: 100% TT Revision Method

A-Level Resit Plan

Resit students must not restart from zero.

• 50% Past Papers (TT Method)
• 25% Targeted content relearning
• 25% Revision of older topics

Core Principle: Prioritise exam performance over content coverage.