Time Wasters/ Avoided Tasks

For this weeks blog I decided to use something that is really effective with the way that I handle things when it comes to school work. I decided to go with the strategy time wasters. My biggest problem that I have always had when it comes to school work is procrastination. I have always been lazy with my school work more than anything else. I was able to skate by in high school with being like this and it has really effected me negatively since I have been here at Syracuse University. This is something that I have always wanted to change but until now when I am in some trouble with my grades I have never actually taken the time to actually change my ways. Hopefully this isn't too late.

I am a visual learner so I knew that this would be something that would be good for me to use. It helps me with writing down what ever I can think of that I do in my everyday life and actually take a good look at what I am doing wrong and what I need to and can cut down on to be successful. One of the main problems that I have always had is that I will sit down to do a tech assignment or a journal for CLS and also a paper or a reflection in CFS and I cant find a quiet place where there is no one around or any TV around so that I can actually get something done. I finally figured out that I can go to the Goldstein Student Center and just put on my headphones in the quiet room and get to work. It has been very effective so far.

Final Blog

For the final blog I chose to do Ranking Priorities. Out of all the TECH assignments this one has helped me a lot throughout the year. I do it every week so I figured I'd just use it for my blog. This is really effective for me because again, I'm a visual learner and this list helps me cross things off and makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something and getting towards my goal. I like this because it allows me to take action towards my goals and what is most important for the week for me. The material I use is usually my notebook and then rip the piece of paper out and keep it with me at all times. The last evaluations of the year our coming up in finals and this helps me see what I need to do and what is most important in a list order. I used this strategy for my CLS, and NAT class mostly. But again, this blog pertains to every single one of my classes. Its really effective for me and this strategy has helped me all throughout the year.

D Do's and Due's

For my final blog I chose to do my D Dos and Due. I felt that this was the best strategy we used throughought the whole year so I felt that it would be the best one to do. The reason I felt that this was such a good strategy was because it laid out right infront of me what I had to do and when I had to do it. It was worth the effort to go through my assignments and lay them out all in my agenda. I am a visual learner so having things laid out with a visual break down really helps me be a successful student. Where this really comes into handy for being a visual learner is when I can break a project up into parts and put them into my agenda. when looking at it this way it helps me because I do not feel overwhelmed or stressed out. I guess this is kind of an adaption if you wanted to call it that because it is a mixture of the D do and dues but also chunking the task.
Another reason I really like this strategy is because I am a procrastinator. I know that even when I have things broken up into do able parts in my ageand I do not always do them when i am suppose to. When I usually sit down to actually do work it is because I have been procratinating and I guilt trip myself into doing it because I know I should have done it or started it earlier. To avoid this from happening I usually schedule in extra days in my planner so that even if I do happen to procrastinate I still have a sufficient amount of time to get my work done before I have to start stressing out about work. For this documentation I did it for my WGS project. I need to have four sections, with three artifacts for each section in my final project. This is very time consuming to find artifacts that match up with readings from the syllabus so I knew I had to organize my time wisely. When meeting with Dr. Blumin she helped me break the project up into sections to make it easier on myself. Once I broke it up i put it into my calender as the D do and Dues.

Many other strategies worked for me but overall, because of my learning style and preferences, this one just kept seeming to make its way back into my weekly schedule of learning because of how successful it was for me. On a side note of other good strategies, my other favorites were 20 minute test prep, ranking priorities, and the graphic organizer for asssignments.

D's Due and Do Round Two Blog

For my final blog in CLS for the fall semester I decided to continue with the D’s Due and Do method, which I have been doing since the beginning of the year. I have been using this method before I was even in College Learning Strategies and have found it really helpful. I am a visual learner so I find this strategy very effective for managing my time and writing out when I am actually work on the specific assignment or study for an exam. I used this strategy for all four of my classes as I do every week. Though this week I have been really focusing on my CLS career/exploration project and my final religion presentation, which are both due next Monday the 5^th. But I have also written down what I have to do for my other two classes CFS 388 and History 101. I have begun to start reviewing for my only two final exams, which are coming up in the next two weeks. I know that there are only two weeks left in school and I have a lot of work that I have to complete, so I thinking writing out all my assignments and exams on my D’s Due and Do calendar is really beneficial to managing my time and breaking up my work load. I really suggest using this strategy if you do not already and I am definitely going to continue this strategy in the future.

For this weeks blog I chose to do a Stress Pie Chart. I chose this strategy for two courses! PSY 322 and NAT 244. I also wrote something about all of my finals and staying on top of everything else including my other classes! I chose this strategy because I am a visual learner. It's easy for me to look at this chart and see what I have to focus more attention on. This is sort of like ranking priorities and thats why I like it so much! I made some adaptations in my head, I sorted this chart out like it was ranking priorities so I kinda used two in one! I thought this strategy is really effective, especially with all the exams and final projects and papers coming up. I can write down what I'm stressed most about and try and focus a little extra on that point. I also chose this because I can see what materials I will need for each study session according to the assignment thats due in the certain class. This also helps me because it shows me how my teachers will be evaluating me at the end of the year, and we all know this is the time to buckle down and make ourselves proud!

Stress Pie CHart

For this week I chose to use the stress pie chart to help get some stress away off my shoulders. This strategy was good for me to notify myself what are my top five things that are stressing me out. What is stressing me out the most is project and papers because I have 3 papers and 1 project due in the next three weeks and its really stressing me out and when I stress, I am always grumpy and I don't want to be that kind of person. I'm glad we got an entire week of from school and I will be taking advantage of the time to get my work done and be well prepared when classes start back up. The 2nd thing that stress me the most is basketball because I want to play good every game and even though I might play good in other people eyes, sometimes I don't be satisfied with myself, I guess that is just the competitive nature in me. Overall I feel good about how I have been playing in the last few games.
Time is another thing that stress me out because I wake up around 9:30-10am every morning. I don' have class until 11am, and I got classes from 11-2pm. After class I go get something to eat and start heading over to the gym at 3pm and practice starts at 4. Practice is usually 2hours long and I stay after an extra 45mins to workout in the weight room or on the court. Some days when my body sore I go in the cold told for 15mins then take a shower after, about the time I'm leaving its 7;30pm. Then I go get something to eat and relax for a couple hrs, next thing you know when I start my homework its almost 10pm, and when I finish it's midnight. Where did all the time go?
Major and selecting classes for spring are two more things to add to my stress. I am undecided and I'm going into my sophomore spring semester and I'm applying to get into CRS because I can really see me making an career out of that. The only problem is I have to get accepted and I really want this major. So when selecting classes for spring I don't know If i will get in CRS so I don't know if I should pick any communication classes.
This strategy has already help me because when I am writing down the things that give me stress it seems to get off my chest. This strategy can be very helpful to people that are visual learners.

Stress Pie Chart Documentation