- Talking to someone about to take this course, I'd say the most important thing is probably learning how to schedule your time. I've only just learned how to schedule my own time; I bought a planner at the beginning of the summer, and I'm doing my best to use it and stick to it. I can honestly say that I now realize half the reason I ever felt like I was getting nothing done and wasn't successful was because I had a lot of things to do and no set schedule to do them in. This made everything seem so insurmountable, and that left me in a rut. But the simple act of writing things down in a certain order to accomplish them gives you a plan that you can follow through on.
- I felt like giving up a couple times, mostly when an assignment required me to interact with people. I've never been sociable, and I still am not the greatest, but I'm doing my best to learn how to at least act sociable. The book I read by Scott Adams has helped a little with that, and practice makes permanent, so I just have to continue trying.
- Three tips I would offer are:
- Buy a planner. Going back to Number 1, I fully suggest learning to plan things.
- Ask for, and give, feedback. The assignments require us to comment on each other's work, but being told only "good work" and "perfect!" only help your ego, and even then, barely. Offer constructive feedback, ask for clarification, give ideas. And ask for it too. I appreciate the people that give me suggestions on how to improve my work, and those that give me the chance to think more deeply into the opportunities I come up with.
- Listen to the band "Beetlegork," or at least find some playlist that you enjoy. Hey, it sounds silly, but I work faster and produce better work when I have heavy riffs blaring. I'm a fan of heavy and sludge metal, but do your own thing if you can't get into that kinda music. Heck, Billy Joel, The Police, or Supertramp, all great stuff. Go back to the 50's, 60's, and 70's and jam out to some Gladys Knight and The Pips and bang out some assignments. I'm certain there's studies out there that agree that music makes one work better.
If anyone has any good suggestions for music that gets them pumped to work, I'd love to hear them!
Hey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like we have similar methods of studying and doing assignments. Just like you, I like listening to music while I do work. Rather than older music, I tend to blast hip hop music to get me pumped up and in a productive mood to do my work. I always set a schedule to ensure myself of completing my assignments on time and thoroughly. Your three tips are definitely essential, especially in this class where you have multiple assignments do every week at a different time, as well as every other course.
Hey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI like all of the tips that you gave for this class! I have especially related with you with the socializing aspect of this class. It has been a little difficult to find people to just talk to and interact with on a topic I am passionate about. I will also take your advice and listen to the band Beetlegork.
Hello Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI found all the tips you have shared with us to be very useful. Especially the planner one! Given the different due dates for assignments in this class I have found the planner to be the perfect solution. Me personally, however, choose to listen to classical music when doing work in order to be more productive. Great work on this assignment!