Motivation and Time Management Update

Here during Week 5, we are focusing on preparing for exams and test anxiety. However, I would like to update and blog about my motivation and time management improvements.

Last week, I listed that I would benefit from switching subjects to stay motivated. I applied this strategy after taking my NAS1510 midterm. I knew that my husband would be off early on Friday and that we would be driving up to our hometown. Our relative's baby was born early, so I wanted to get some pictures for a photo book I plan to make for them. Therefore, instead of taking the rest of the day off last Wednesday, I took a short break, and then switched my focus to our CIS1200 class. I'm happy to write that I finished nearly all of the assignments ahead of time.

Hello world! There's a new lil cousin in town!

I also worked extra hard Thursday and Friday to finishing my reading and notes for the next chapters of my NAS1510 class. By carefully managing my time and staying motivated, I was able to have the rest of the weekend free to visit with family and enjoy a football game at mine and my husband's old high school.

Our hometown high school football team

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.