Time Wasters & More

TECH Entry 8

            This week, the strategies I used to help myself out with my classes were the “X Minute Reading” and “Time Wasters” reading and anti-procrastination strategies to help make sure that I get all the work that I have due this last week before break done.

I used the “X Minute Reading” strategy for my HST 231 class because the readings in it at the moment are very difficult to understand and are also quite lengthy.  And I found this strategy to be so helpful because it is really tailored to mold the user’s individual learning methods.  I have a hard time staying focused on lengthy and involved readings, but by using this strategy I could break it up into smaller sections and then at the end of each I summarized what I learned and reviewed that information, took a short break to clear my head, and then got back to the reading after quickly reviewing the previous material.  And the reward function of this strategy did wonders to motivate me to complete the reading so I could utilize it.

The other strategy, “Time Wasters,” I used for all my classes and it helped me to stop procrastinating today and get started on my work because it showed me that I really did not have time to waste any time at all.  It clearly listed what I was doing to procrastinate as well as the tasks I was trying to avoid having to do, which for me, was really helpful because I need to see the reminder in order for the reality to set in.  And the reality was that I was procrastinating and wasting valuable time that I really could not afford to waste.  Both strategies worked very well.