The sense of urgency is a must. Priorities change for what’s most important to me depending on their immediate relevance. If my assignment is not due for a few days or the exam is not for another week then I am more then happy to push things aside. I find building relationships and spending time with others is the most important thing to do with my time.
Then the stress starts to build and the due date looms … How do I start?
The first thing to make is a plan; what I need to do, and when I need to do it by.
I like to make lists, if I find myself getting off topic I like to set 10 minute goals. Once I see myself achieving success, though minimal, I really start to hit my stride.
I would like to say I’m successful at this plan all of the time but obviously because I’m posting this late so I have failed this time around.
Where it breaks down…
I am a creature of habit conditioned by 16 years of school where the due date is the night before at 12 am or during class. Catching up with friends I have not seen in the 8 months I have been away and the disorganization of moving has befuddled my track record of getting er’ done when I need to. So, where does my planning break down? It breaks down when regular patterns change and I do not change my behaviour early enough to respond. It also breaks down when I weight other priorities too high.
And when it all comes together…
I have always done well enough with my efforts in school, I have made it this far after all. However so many things I learn about I am not passionate about and am unmotivated to learn with my heart and intent. This means I cram craM crAM cRAM CRAM facts into my head and (excuse my language) vomit these facts onto the test paper, and walk out with a smile on my face thinking I’ll never have to learn about that again. I wish it could be more along the lines of that will benefit me in the near future. In a sense I guess it does. This cramming and vomiting will get me a fancy piece of paper (degree) that will get my foot in the door. However once I’m in that door it’s definitely not what I learned in school that will get me the job…
So you might think I have gotten a bit off track by discussing my feeling of the results of much of my University Thought Process in not the most glorious of ways. I included my thoughts on this to reflect on the question “What works about your own process?”
Does it work because I get an above average grade in the class and can cram more facts into my head in a short amount of time than my peers? Or should my whole process maybe not work? I certainly have taken many great classes in my university career and will hold true the lessons I’ve learned. But just as many or more, I could would have trouble telling you a single thing about the subject… and yes, for most of those I would be above the class average, how does that make sense?