Study Tips 101

My assignment notebook for the past week.

These past few weeks have been so stressful! We have just passed the mid-point of the semester, meaning many of my classes had mid-term assessments and projects. I think I did well, but it was definitely an added on stress!

Sometimes when I look at my assignment notebook I get completely overwhelmed, but I've developed a few tricks to keep me motivated and keep me going:

• When I start to feel really overwhelmed I remind myself why I'm doing everything and why I'm at school. When you just go day-by-day so overwhelmed and stressed, it can be easy to loose sight of the bigger picture and why you're actually doing what seems to be endless, pointless homework! When you loose sight of why you're doing things you do not enjoy, you're much more likely to not do it... which will inhibit you from achieving your grand goal. My Goal: get my degree and move back to Austin, TX. What's yours?
• Make myself some tea. It may sound corny or old-lady like, but whenever I'm working on a homework assignment and I notice my mind drifting (like when I'm reading a 20 page "short" story that is NOT short and NOT an *interesting*story), I allow myself a break to make some tea. The break re-focuses my brain and gets me back on track, plus then I get to have some tea (which I love)! Making tea may not be your ideal break, so think of something that would be a short, productive interruption for you. While you're brainstorming what may work for you, keep in mind that Facebook, TV show, or any of the like is probably not a good alternative because if you're anything like me, you're very likely to spend HOURS doing that, versus 10 minutes.
• Speaking of Facebook, TV, and other distractions - DON'T DO IT! Do not open up your Facebook, or have your phone on Twitter while you're trying to do a paper, it is the most distracting and time consuming thing you could ever do! One thing I do on my Mac (not sure if other computers can do this) is put the No Distraction setting on. This feature makes the rest of your screen black except for the paper you're typing... this is SUCH a help because it doesn't allow me to be distracted by all the Internet tabs I may have open.
• Call a motivational person. I know (hope) everyone has at least one person in their life that really builds you up and makes you feel like you could leap buildings in a single bound. For me that is my oldest sister, Andrea. Whenever I feel completely frustrated, overwhelmed, or just plain ready to give up, I call my sister and she reminds me of how incredible I am (hehe!) and how she knows I can do anything I set my mind to.. etc. She is able to remind me why I'm doing everything and reassure me that I am totally and completely capable. Who is your person? Make sure to have them on speed dial during really tough weeks!
• Block out you time, set realistic goals, and be specific! It's so easy to be like "and on Thursday I'm going to finish my project!" ... but we all know that when Thursday comes around you're almost at the end of the week, you're tired... etc. Be realistic and specific in your goals. Instead of vaguely saying you're going to finish, outline exactly what you will finish, for example: "On Thursday I will finish my outline for my midterm paper and find all of the quotes I am going to use." That way, on Thursday you know exactly what you need to do. It's also important that when Thursday comes around you are actually setting aside an hour, maybe two (whatever the goal needs) to do it - don't put it off because then it will never get done!
• My last point is a quote from previous boss (I don't think he made it up, but he is who introduced me to the quote) that I always remember when the going gets tough: 

"If you have to eat crow (and we all do), at least eat it while it is still warm."

What this quote means to me in the school setting is that if you have to do the homework, you may as well do it on time! You know you're going to end up doing it at some point in time, so you may as well do it on time when you will get full credit for it, rather then doing the same homework later but getting point deductions because it was late. Of course, sometimes a homework assignment may slip past you - no one is perfect - but you should try your very hardest to get it in on time!

Those are some pointers I have for staying focused and productive even though the semester is almost over and ALL you want to do is relax and wait for Winter Break to come! Do you have an pointers, I am always looking for more study tricks!