Harvey has a great post up offering advise to Nick of Patriot Paradox advise on Time Management, especially teaching oneself to study. Tough question with no easy answers. BUT.....School (college in particular) does more than teach you book smarts. The habits you pick up now will stay with you forever (yes, even the bad ones, for the most part).
My first 3 years of college were like most people. Fresh out of High School and cocky as hell. I never studied. I had taken a lot of college level courses my senior year in High School so I already knew what to expect work load wise. I was on a full scholarship so the arrogance was even worse. However - I have one gift. It is the ability to remember conversations. Almost like a photographic memory only verbal not visual. So that was advantage Tammi. When I went back to finish up my degree it wasn't so easy. I was working 60+ hours a week and carrying a full load class wise. Oh I had a 3.99 average, but had to develop new study habits. Those are what have changed how I do things today.
So, here's my .02 cents worth on Time Management and how to really develop the skill of multi tasking.
I love Teresa's comment at Harvey's place to look at the lectures as an opportunity to find mistakes. Another way to "force the interest" is to look at the topic like it will make you a boat load of money. "Damn, if I can get this down, I'll make a fortune." Hell, use your imagaination to create that scenerio.
When I take notes I take them in outline form. Not a lot of detail. It forces me to think back over the discussion. Plus it makes it more productive if you are studying during drive time. I have notebooks full of lecture outlines. I take one section at a time and, since I'm usually alone, talk out everything I can remember about that part of the topic. I did the same thing (only silently) when I was taking the train back and forth in Chicago. What this does is puts the subject matter into your language. Make it personal. If you own the topic you will become the expert. Plus, you will retain more when it makes sense to YOU.
3) Homework - when at all possible do it the day you recieve it. That last run through college I had class 1 night a week for 4 hours. We got finished at 10:00pm and it usually took 45 mins to get home. I was so hyped up after class, I'd just get home and dive in. One - it would help me to come off that rush, two - it let me know from the get go how involved the assignment was going to be.
When you have books to read and papers to write it's not that simple. Kinda like when I prepare training booklets - not something that can be done quickly. Those I schedule. But I schedule them to begin within 24 hours of getting the assignment. If you wait, it loses it's urgency - until the day before it's due.
I guess the biggest secret is to remember you're doing this for YOU. By procrastinating you are only making things harder for YOU. If you don't get it done in time, or if you have to bust your ass to get it done at the last minute the only person that suffers is YOU. Plain and simple.
So do yourself a favor - start out early. Plan it, once you do that a couple of times, and see how easy it is and how much better it turns out you'll keep going. Honest - I'm the worlds worst procrastinator, but not when it comes to stuff like that. I'm too damned vain to turn in something that's half-assed.
If all else fails - you can take Harvey's advise and Try Drinking Heavily. If nothing else, it'll make for a very interesting paper!!
Posted by Tammi at December 7, 2004 07:45 AM | TrackBackIn college the first time, right out of high school I didn't appreicate it. I was too caught up in the social aspect of college (and who isn't). It didn't really hit me that I would be using what I was being taught.
My second degree came when I was older and working in a field in which the degree would help me progress to where I wanted to be in the future, so I was learning stuff I would be using and was using a little bit.
My third degree, which I am working on now, is totally what I am doing on my job and I love taking the classes. I am doing what I am being taught. I am literally taking what I learn in each class and bringing it to work and implementing it into my job. I have never had so much fun in school as I am now. I am half way through this degree and already looking at what my next degree will be because I am having so much fun in my current degree.
Posted by: Machelle at December 7, 2004 09:32 AMAnother thought on big projects. Make a list of what needs to be done. Start at the end & work backwards, like
hand in paper
put paper in fancy cover to impress prof
print out paper
do final proofreading
etc.
and keep working backwards until there's something you can do RIGHT NOW, even if it's tiny, like:
go buy fancy cover to impress prof
Or even:
Put name, date and class on title page
Posted by: Harvey at December 7, 2004 10:35 AM