Don't Divide... Do and Due!

As the semester wraps up and project, test andpaper deadlines creep closer and closer, all of the work can be overwhelming. This past week's topic of task management came at the perfect time. To be totally honest, CLS 105's homework has started to become more and more of a chore. I can respect why it is that we have to do it and try out the strategies, but I just feel like I could be doing something better with my time.

This week I tried out the "divide by 4" task management strategy. I used it to plan out studying for my last NSD 225 exam and writing my PSY 205 term paper. To divide by 4 you must break up the task into: 1) prepare, 2) start, 3) continue, 4) finish.

For my NSD 225 exam I used prepare as my daily things I do to get ready for the exam. That includes 20 minute test prep at the end of each week and preparing and answering test questions. I used start to go through all of the test questions and figure out which ones I don't know. Continue is used to make graphic organizers and other ways to remember the questions I had trouble with. Finally, with finish I re-review all of the test questions.

For the PSY 205 term paper I changed the prepare, start, continue and finish to work for a paper. Using research, outline, first draft and edit as my key steps to completing the work.

To be totally honest, I don't really find this strategy especially helpful. At the beginning of the semester I was a strong supporter of D's Do and Due. To me that made sense. You have a month calendar with major assignments on their due date and then during the weekly calendar they're broken up to tell you what part of the assignment you should be doing each day so the task is MORE MANAGEABLE. Just listing what I should do, and limiting it to four steps doesn't do anything for me. I need the organization of D's Do and Due with the long term and short term assignments listed and organized. I will not be Dividing by 4 again.

Task Management

So, this being the final week of classes, and we are nearing the end of the year. Which seems so crazy to me, being a freshman, I feel like, I was just moving in, not knowing anyone, and now its the end. Next year will be so different, and it is a bittersweet feeling, nobody likes change, but it will be nice to meet a whole new group of friends and people in a new building. However, even though this ending is coming upon us sooner than ever, I still have so much work to focus on before we all get to these sad endings.

Task management has been a huge issue for me, since before I can remember. I usually like to do projects and assignments all in one night. Once I sit down and start to work, I like to complete the work within that siting. By doing this, it makes me feel accomplished and like I was able to get one item knocked off my list of things to do. For example, this blog, once I am finished I am going to go work out and feel good about doing it because I will have rewarded myself with a nice work out. The reward system works really well for me, because I usually need a little extra push to start something, like if there is a time frame that the assignment needs to be done for then this will help me start because I know if I don't finish it, I won't be able to do the activity that comes after it.

Also, I decided to divide by four for my recent time arts project. Because I am in VPA and a lot of the time we assignment a project to complete each week, it is easy to just forget about it and then last minute the night before, I stay up all night working on it. This way of doing things is just not helpful for so many reasons, besides lack of sleep, the quality of the project is immediately lessened. So, by dividing into four, it helps me get each small aspect of the project to come together at the and create the finished piece. At first, I went and sat in Starbucks and made a map of all the noises I heard for the next hour and where there were around me. Then second, I had to come back to my computer and use a site to download sounds that were similar (but not the same) to those that I heard in Starbucks. Third, I edited the noises in Audacity to form a single sound for approximately a minute. This brings me to the fourth step, where I presented the final project to my class on our blog.

http://thursdaymorningtimeart.blogspot.com/2011/04/soundscape-by-natalie.html

Getting on Task

Task Management is extremely important now that finals are approaching. Before I can even think about finals, I have a paper in PSY 205 due and also my BIO 124 lab practical next Wednesday. I have been stressing about these two for a while now and procrastination hasn't helped that stress one bit. So, it's time for me to buckle down and to finish this year off right.

To lessen the stress of these couple weeks I have made it a point to list all my priorities, from the big assignments to the little ones. It is a great tool for task management because when starting tasks you want already know what is at the top of your list. For right now, my BIO lab practical is at the top of my list. With my excitement that I'll be done with general BIO fo

rever gives me a little motivation to ace the

With these strategies I can stay more on task and avoid the temptation to procrastinate (which I've done enough of). The thought of me being completely done with my Freshman year in 16 days is crazy to think about, but it's an even better motivator.practical and leave on a good note. The practical is treated as a final for BIO 124 and includes 24 stations, each listing a few questions. Questions include anything from photosynthesis to where the kidneys are located in a fetal pig. Starting to study for this exam has been harder than any other exam I have studied for, because my TA left us in the dark; leaving it to us to study all 11 labs we have done without providing us with any outline. That leaves me to use the Exam Experiment techniques: Topic/Source Outlines, Study Sheets, Test Questions, and Study Schedule. These techniques will all be very helpful my task management because when

it comes time to review all my study sheets, I like to put post-it notes on my desk to k

eep reminding me of different concepts and diagrams, and most importantly to keep my focus on the practical. I use post-it notes a lot because they're great for everyone of my courses. Reminders of CLS journals, Chemistry equations, Biology definitions, etc.

With these strategies I can stay more on task and avoid the temptation to procrastinate (which I've done enough of). The thought of me being completely done with my Freshman year in 16 days is crazy to think about, but it's an even better motivator.

Task Management!

People are so busy these days that it can be hard to keep track of all of the tasks one needs to accomplish. I know this is true for me. There are many times I find myself confused about what work is due in which of my classes. Especially with the year coming to an end I feel like I have so many things being thrown at me (papers, tests, homework, etc.) that if I don't have the skill of task management than I am going to be in BIG trouble. As if it's not hard enough to prioritize my school work, one must also prioritize personal things outside of schoolwork, such as being in a sorority for me. There are so many events one must attend if part of a sorority, and I love going to them, but at the same time I know it gets in the way of my school work. I really looked forward to this week and learning about task management because I knew its something I struggle with, and with practice, a skill I could really benefit having.

As I looked at my work for the week, I decided the two classes I had the most work in were PSY 205 and CLS 105. Because I have used it in the past and found it very helpful to me by executing my work in an organized manner, I used the "Target Planner" strategy for CLS 105. In PSY 205, I used the strategy "Divide By 4" because I have an exam coming up this week and foundthat the layout of "Divide By 4" was a perfect way to begin my prep for my exam. Also, I have always been a fan of "Post It Reminders" and used them throughout the week, as I do every week.

Tomorrow in CLS 105, I have a huge project due: The Major/Career Exploration. I was very proud of myself because I got started on this project early on, and was done with most of it at the start of last week. But as I said a few weeks ago, I really struggle with procrastination, and I could feel myself putting off the rest of the project because I had accomplished so much already so early. So to get my priorities straight and figure out exactly what had to be done and when, I created a Target planner. We have used the Target planner in CLS before, and it had worked great for me so I decided to try it again. I am a

visual learner so it is very important for me to see what I have to do. This strategy is great because it is a visual reminder of what has to be done. I took the Major/CareerExploration Project and broke it up into the different sections of it. I then created a bullseye and added each task of the project and when it is due. Having this very visual reminder of my project not only kept me from procrastinating, but also helped me finish all of my work by the date I had specified. I am also a kinesthetic learner, so the actually making of the target planner also engrained the tasks and dates into my head. I would definitely recommend using a Target planner, but probably only for big projects, or project with multiple parts and due dates.

This Friday I have my last PSY 205 recitation quiz. These quizzes are really important because they can help save your grade if you do not test well (which is me!) I de

cided to use the strategy "Divide by 4." The four steps are prepare,start, continue, and finish. Here is what I did:

1. PREPARE: In order to prepare for my quiz coming up, the first thing I had to do was gather all my notes and make sure I wasn't missing any lectures. I have missed a few classes which meant part of my preparation was going online and copying the PowerPoints I had missed into my notebook. I also went to the bookstore and picked up notecards. I did all of this on 4/20.
2. START: I decided I wanted to start prepping for the exam the next day (4/21). I started with the 20 minute test prep. Since I didn't have class on Thursday, I went to my last set of notes (from Tuesday) and reviewed them. After this, I spent about 10 minutes on each week of notes I had, highlighting this I was unsure or had questions about.
3. CONTINUE: I continued with the 20 minute test prep by creating test questions at the end of each week's lecture. I aimed for about 5-8 questions per week. I also noticed that I felt myself beginning to stress, so I used a strategy from last week, "10 Minute Vacation," to help calm myself down, and refocus.
4. FINISH: To finish, I began copying all of the test questions I created to notecards. I have used flash cards all of my life and they really help me preparefor exams. I also went through the text book and clarified anything I was unsure about. I am planning on creating a topic outline as well after our last PSY class before our quiz, which is on Tuesday.

"Divide By 4" made me realize something very important. Organization is KEY in task management. If you do not have a plan of execution, or a break down of what you must accomplish, it is never going to get done. I found "Divide By 4" to be extremely helpful and would recommend it to my peers for any type of work. Whether it be a big project or one homework assignment, being able to break up your work really helps keep you on track and organized. It also kept me from stressing out.

Both "Divide By 4" and "Target Planner" laid out an organized plan of what I had to do for each of my classes. Like I said earlier, as a kinesthetic and visual learner I learn best when I can see and do, and both of these strategies combine a visual aspect with an active aspect (active being the actually creating of test questions, note cards, the target planner, etc.) I think both of these strategies work, and I look forward to using them these last few weeks of school as we prepare for finals!

Get a Grasp on the Task!

Task management is a very helpful ability to possess as an individual as well as a student. There are so many tasks people need to complete each day and at times we need to sit down and figure out which task is most important and prioritize from there. Not only is it difficult as a student to prioritize the several academic assignments and accomplish them all without feeling out of time or overwhelmed, but also it is also just as important to prioritize and manage activities and personal things outside of schoolwork. My hardest struggle and fear is not being able to manage and finish my academic work load combined with everything else I would like to do or am obligated to do. Therefore, I used some helpful strategies from our CLS textbook and chose some task strategies. This week I put to use the “Divide by Four” method and then I utilized the “Post-It Reminders” as a second strategy.

I utilized these two strategies in two of my classes. I used the “DivideBy Four” for CLS 105 to organize my last project and then I used “Post-It Reminders” for my Psych 205 class and everyday life in general. For CLS 105 our last project has finally arrived and I knew that I had to get a jump-start on it and be able to finish the last portion of it by Monday. Since this CLS project is a major career exploration assignment it was broken up into three different parts. The first part was to create a proposal where I stated how I was going to go about seeking a potential career and such. I wrote a proposal and discussed the ways I would collect documentation to help me make up my mind even further. I came to the conclusion that I would need to gather six different forms of documentation ranging from picking my classes on myslice for next semester and then to looking into internships and studying abroad flyers. However, the last portion of the project is a three -page reflection paper. I went about organizing my paper into four paragraphs and deciding what I was going to write about in each paragraph as well. I really enjoyed using this strategy because I like dividing things up and visually being able to see what needs to be written in each paragraph as well as mapping it out kinesthetically at the same time. I prepared this assignment by writing the proposal, then I started to collect documentation and speak with advisors, I continued to seek out my interests so by the end of the project I can have a relaxed feeling of accomplishment and finish not only the assignment but clear up my thoughts and actually have a sense of direction for my future.

The second task management strategy I found to be a personal favorite was the “Post-It Reminders” technique. I have used post-its in the past, but once I read about this strategy and actually started using it for academic assignments and not just little reminders or having phone numbers stuck on a sticky note and e-mail addresses, it changed my outlook on the schoolwork side. I utilized this strategy with Psych 205 because I have so many assignments due within the next couple weeks that I wrote them all down on sticky notes and as I complete each little assignment I can rip off the sticky note in the process. I wrote a few sticky notes at a time so I don’t become too overwhelmed, so for example I wrote down that I need to complete my “SONA” studies and start to outline my paper. Then, on the sticky notes next to those I wrote that I need to start typing my paper next week and that I have a quiz next week as well. Lastly, the final sticky note said that my Psych 205 exam will be on May 3^rd and that is the same day I must turn in my paper. Just sitting at my desk and being able to see what I need to accomplish is so helpful because that way I am always thinking ahead. I love the “Post-It Reminders” task management technique and I would highly recommend it. I write down practically my life on sticky notes and they have never failed me. So go out and purchase a huge multi-colored pack, they’ll last you the whole year and nothing can replace the feeling of ripping one off and crumbling it while you shoot for the trash can!

Stress OVERLOAD

Most of the time I am stressed. Not only with school work, but there are so many other aspects of life that can leave a person stressed. Like today, I woke up and realized I had so many errands to run and things to buy before I go back to school on Tuesday. I have to do my laundry, clean my room, go to CVS, buy more suitcases and ect. the list goes on. I also, have 2D homework, time arts homework, and CLS! Where do I even begin?!

So, I sat down and made a chart, the Stress Diagram, and it showed what my biggest stresses where down to my, not so stressful but still in the back of my head, stresses. Then I put it into a pie chart to express what needed more attention. This worked because I am a visual and kinesthetic learner, so drawing out what stressed me out, really showed me what I needed to work on and in what order.

After doing this, it made me feeling better about organizing what work I should look at first and get accomplished, vs. what work I could leave for a little later. This brought me to make a Stress Reduction Plan because I would reward myself with one of these activities when I finished a task that was very stressful.

I wrote out five things that I could treat myself to when I got to stressed with work. This helped because it gave me first, an incentive to finish some of my work, and then also, in doing this activity, it let me relax a little and not think so much about what I had to do but just have some fun.

I will totally continue to use these helpful charts in the future because they have made me realize that there are ways to de-stress, and that you don't always have to be caught up in the middle of it.

Managing That Thing Called Stress

Being a Freshman in college, there are so many things to worry about. But transitioning from the work in High School to the work in College can be a very big step. The workload jump for me was very hard to overcome. This can put major stress onany student. There are many ways to manage stress but the first thing to figure out is what causes it in the first place. I am a Linear learner so the stress diagram was perfect for me. I chose the top five things that gave me stress then split them up in a pie chart. I love my girlfriend to death but she does stress me out sometimes and being three hours away doesn't really help. When we are in a fight its hard to think about anything else, especially getting motivated to do my work. Others in my top five stressors include my grades, my family, lacrosse, and my friends in that order. Grades for me are very big deal. I may not show it sometimes but I hate getting back bad grades. Succeeding in school is a very big stressor for me. My next is my family. There are always so many things going on and so many people to make happy it can get very stressful. This is wheretaking a nice break from them can help so much. Lacrosse has always been stressful for me. I love the sport and I want to succeed playing it. Having to perform each day at practice when your starting position is on the line while thinking about school and a girlfriend can be so stressful. My last major stressor is my friends. Keeping up with everything that is going on at school and keeping promises with them stresses me out. I sometimes forget about things that I said I was going to do and that makes people not happy with me. This is the diagram I whipped up in Photoshop. I then created a Stress Reduction Plan to combat these stressful things. This is a list in order that I can look at if I become too stressed. I can go down the list and find something that will take my mind off whatever I am stressed about.

My first is of course riding snowmobile. There is really nothing like it. When I'm out riding, nothing else matters. My head is clear and I can take out my frustrations on the snow or jumps. It is such a calming experience for me. The only thing with this choice is that it can only be done in the winter. While in CNY it seems like its winter all the time, there are some times where there is no snow so that choice cannot be done. So my next is working out. It is very calming to get a really good workout in. My next one is to do some design work. When I'm doing photoshop or anything like that I am in my own little world and nothing can touch me. Working in the shop can relieve my stress just as good as anything. Pounding metal with a hammer can take away frustrations like nothing else. Taking a nap is always a way to disconnect from the world and calm down. When I was feeling stressed this week I went down to the basement and worked out until I felt better. I will continue to use these strategies as long as I have stress.s

All in all, once one figures out what is causing them stress, they can create a plan to combat that stress. Since stress is always changing, it is most productive to make a stress diagram every few weeks or even every week. The Stress Reduction Plan can also be updated when one finds a new activity to do to keep their mind at ease.