Staying Motivated

This week I also learned some tips on staying motivated from the textbook, Orientation to College Learning by Dianna L. Van Blerkom.

From: http://kumardeepak.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/why-motivation-works-and-when/

Generally, most of the time, I'd like to think of myself as a fairly self-motivated person. However, I've noticed since high school that I usually start with high motivation at the beginning of school or start of a class, then I seem to suffer from a mid-point slump halfway, and become motivated again right before the final exam. I would really like to improve on this. Reading through the textbook, here are some things that I think would help me:

1. During my long morning study block, I should switch subjects about every hour. Sometimes focusing on one subject for a long time can feel overwhelming. Feeling like I'm gradually making progress on both subjects would probably help me stay upbeat.
2. Since I honestly know that I suffer from mid-point slump, I should schedule small, reasonable rewards for myself to stay motivated. Maybe having a small piece of chocolate after I complete my assignments or an hour to play a video game.
3. I should learn to set better priorities. I want to do well on everything, but sweating the small stuff, or the smaller assignments, when I also have bigger, important exams and papers to work on, can lead to burn-out.

Better Time Management Skills

Back to Time Management Skills, one thing I honestly admit that I need to work more on.

From http://thorntoncenter.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/time1.jpg

This week I learned a lot about myself from the My Daily Schedule Link. Breaking down my typical weekday helped me to revaluate how I'm spending my time. Right now, I think I'm doing pretty good. I figured that I spend about seven hours doing assignments, reading, and studying for my classes. I credit this to turning over a new leaf and starting my work early in the morning instead of at night. I am naturally a night owl, but with assignments being due around 11pm on Wednesday, it isn't practically to start working after dinner. It's better for me to start work in the morning and have the night free for time with my husband and hobbies.

I have been an assignment calendar creator gal since high school. I don't use a day planner anymore, but I do write my and my husband's assignments on our livingroom calendar. Since beginning this class, I have also discovered the iCal(endar) on my Mac. This has been helpful because I do most of my work on the computer now.

I have also been a "To Do" list gal for a long time. However, I would benefit from making my lists more like the daily Figure 3.4 example in the textbook. In the past, my "To Do" lists have been a little unrealistic, asking too much of myself in one day. Breaking the tasks into study goals and personal goals is a really good idea.

So far, I haven't had a problem staying motivated on a typical weekday. It's on untypical weekends when we visit friends and family three hours away that I fall into trouble. I seem to run into the thinking, "I have to go visit, etc., with so-in-so because I so rarely see them. We can't hang out any other time this month because I live too far away." Which is fine in theory, if I scheduled time to study afterwards on those nights, but I find myself wanting to do other things instead of study. Another problem I have, since I'm still more or less a newlywed, is still feeling like a guest in my in-laws' home. The only rooms I have to study in, while there, are my husband's old room and the livingroom. If my husband is watching tv in his room and my in-laws are watching tv in the livingroom, I feel rude asking them to stop because it is their home. And, unfortunately, there isn't a library nearby that is open at night.

So, right now my strategy is to work ahead as much as I can when I know we are going to visit. I also plan to ask if it would be okay if I bought a desk and set it up in their basement. Having my own desk, in a part of the house that is off to itself would be a quiet area to help motivate me to get work done while visiting.

Goal Setting

Here during Week 4 one of our focuses is Goal Setting.

From http://www.austincc.edu/

I enjoyed reading the chapter on setting goals from our textbook: Orientation to College Learning by Dianna L. Van Blerkom.

I had not previously heard of the Seven Characteristics of Goals or the Five-Step Approach. I found the assignment in which I listed my own five-step approach to a college and life goal to be very helpful. I don't often type or write out my goals on paper, so being able to take time out from everything else and type my goal was a good way for me to visualize my goal and motivate myself. I feel like I would benefit from typing out other goals that I have using the Five-Step Approach. Planning my way around obstacles that might come up is a good way to ensure success.

From: http://www.healthylifestyleplus.com/

As a review and for future reference, here are the Seven Characteristics of Goals and the Five-Step Approach method in my own words:

The Seven Characteristics of Goals:

Self-Chosen: Your goals should be something that you truly want to do or achieve. It should not be only influenced by your friends or family. Your goals should make you happy first, and then others secondly.

Moderately Challenging: You should think about what you have achieved in the past and add a little more to that to challenge yourself to do more. Don’t over or under challenge yourself.

Realistic: Think about whether or not you can really achieve your goals. Are you dreaming or being hopeful, or can you really do it? Think in real terms of how to achieve the goal.

Measurable: Make your goals clear and specific, so that they can be compared to past and future successes.

Specific: Your goals should plainly state what it is you want to do. Be clear and certain of your goal, so there is no room for confusion or backing out.

Finite: You should set a time limit on your goals. A goal with endless time might ever be finished. Think realistically, and set a date for your goal to be finished.

Positive: State your goals in a positive manner, so you’ll feel more motivated to achieve them and more successful when you do.

The 5 Steps to Writing Effective Goals:

Write Your Goals Down: Clearly state what it is that you want or plan to do. Writing it out can help you visualize your exact goal.

Write Your Obstacles:  Think honestly about all the realistic factors that might come up and get in the way of your success. Clearly write down these obstacles.

Write Your Resources: Think of what will help you get around the obstacles you might face. Think of your own strengths, people that might be able to help you reach your goals, and the ways that you will succeed.

Write Your Motivations: When obstacles come up, think of what keeps you motivated. What will keep you going when the going gets tough? What will make your goals all worth it in the end?

Write Your Final Goal: After carefully thinking your original goal over, review and revise it if needed.

Onto Time Management Skills

Here during Week 4 we are discussing Time Management Skills.

It's interesting that we've moved to that this week, after my time management skills were challenged over the Labor Day Weekend during Week 3.

I feel some explanation is in order. My husband is a 3rd year medical student, whose awesome time management skills I certainly can learn from. He only has major holidays, one being Labor Day, off. So we planned to drive back to our hometown, which takes about 3 hours. Previous to starting the Shorter Online Program, me and my mother-in-law had planned to give a relative a baby shower on that Monday, September 3rd, Labor Day. However, being as we don't visit often, other relatives also wanted us to go to church with them, have a home-cooked lunch with them, and visit a restaurant for dinner on Sunday. And that was fine. But I also wanted to visit The Decatur Book Festival, another an hour and thirty minutes away from our hometown, to see some of my favorite authors that Saturday.

Author Meg Cabot speaking 09.01.12

It was looking like a very packed weekend. On top of the fact that I still had assignments in our CIS1200 to do and very difficult Chemistry chapters to study in NAS1510.

Although, I was very distracted and my motivation was low because there were so many other things I wanted to do, I am proud to write that I did study a little each night. I knew if I put off doing anything until Tuesday and Wednesday, I would be very stressed out during those days, because I would have to make up for the free time by working non-stop. But everything turned out well.

So, I guess, I realize that another disadvantage of online classes is the fact that there are no true days off, except for breaks in-between the semesters.

From the baby shower I helped host

I'm hoping to learn more about how to better manage my time this week, because I know I will have to balance my time in the future when we visit for Thanksgiving and when our relative's baby is born.

Since I already have a plan of action for typical weekdays, it seems like I need to come up with a strategy for weekends that I'll be away from home.