Stress Management

TECH Entry 9

            This week, the strategies I used to help me out with my classes were the “Stress Diagram” and “A Day at a Time” stress management strategies in order to help me out with my homework that I have to do over break.

I used the “Stress Diagram” strategy for all my classes that assigned work over the break—which would be IST 195, REL 205, HST 231, and WRT 105—in a surprisingly successful attempt to manage my stress levels.  It worked so well because for me, I need a controlled environment when doing my work in order to be productive; and without it, I tend to just run in circles and have a hard time even getting work done.

The other strategy I used was the “A Day at a Time” strategy, and I used it in tandem with the “Stress Diagram” strategy with considerable success in that I used it to give myself a list of the stress factors that were persisting and needing to be eliminated.  It also gave me attention to which factors were more problematic because of the fact that I was having trouble getting rid of them.  This strategy worked well for me because I need a constant reminder of things that need to be taken care of in order to even get things accomplished, so having this on-going list of things that are causing stress enabled me to focus on what they were and get rid of them effectively in a faster fashion than if I had not used the strategy.

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.

Motivation

TECH Entry 7

            This week, the strategies I used to help myself out with my classes were the “Exploring Rewards” and “Weighing Consequences” motivation strategies in order to kick myself into gear so I can get my work done for all my classes (IST 195, CLS105, REL 205, HST 231, WRT 105) for these last two weeks before break.

I used the “Exploring Rewards” strategy to give myself a physical list of rewards I intended to give myself if I could get my everyday work done ahead of time before it was even due.  And this worked well for me because given the way I am I tend to forget things pretty easily and end up just getting tunnel-vision on my work and forget to take breaks and just relax.  I did not really like the way it was set up with how it listed the categories for rewards so I changed the wording and filled it in with my rewards.

The other strategy I used, “Weighing Consequences,” was a great tool in my opinion because it lists a very plain and simple approach for work that needs to get done but does not have a lot of appeal for getting accomplished; and for me, that happens to apply to a lot of my work.  I used this strategy to smack myself in the face about how I was planning on completing the major assignment that I have due in each of my five classes the week before break; and it worked really, really well in helping me to organize my time which I am normally not very good at.

Procrastination

TECH Entry 6

            This week, the strategies I used to help myself out with my classes were the “Excuse Buster,” “Study Partner,” “Chunking the Task,” and “10-Minute Technique” anti-procrastination strategies in order to help myself get on task and get my work done for REL 205 and CLS 105 ahead of time instead of waiting until the last moment.  The way I employed these four techniques was to use the “Excuse Buster” strategy to tell myself that I do not have time to start playing video games when I got back to my room after Lab; and in it did its job because I did not play any games this afternoon.

Next, I used the “Chunking the Task” strategy as a guide for laying out the steps on how I was going to go about doing each assignment.  I used a slight variation of this strategy however in that instead of including two different options on how I planned to get the work done I simply told myself that ‘failure is not an option’ and listed the steps to take for each task: so I replaced “option 1” with “REL 205” and “option 2” with “CLS 105” and filled in a sequential process to tackle each assignment.

After that I told myself I was going to use the “10-Minute Technique” and just work in ten minute blocks, but in reality I used it to get myself started on the work and after the ten minutes was up I simply kept working.  The final strategy I used was the “Study Partner” strategy to help ensure I stayed on task as I was working; but I used a slight variation of the technique and used the same idea of peer pressure by having my girlfriend from back home in California to Skype with me, and in this way I restricted myself from getting off task.  These four strategies worked extremely well together and enabled me to get my work done quick and cleanly and in a manner best for me since I procrastinate; it also worked well because I need that extra bit of structuring to work efficiently.

Reading Strategy

TECH Entry 5

            This week, the strategy I used to help me out with my classes was the “Charlie Reads SmarT” reading strategy in order to help myself to better understand my readings for REL 205 and HST 231.  I had to use a variation of “Charlie Reads SmarT” because it is designed for tests and none of my classes have any exams in the upcoming weeks, and I also felt I could utilize this strategy more by using it for writing a paper.  I took the idea of looking for what to expect on the test while reading and applied it in the sense that as I was reading I had a list of what I needed to look for in order to write the paper, and I found that it worked out quiet surprising well.

I designed a series of parameters for what to look for when reading, and anything I found that fit under that category I would record what page I found it on and where on the page it was so I could return to it in case I needed to.  For the reading itself, I broke it up into two sections to allow myself a break and avoid just staring at printed characters on a page since I lose interest in readings quickly.

Note-Taking — 1 Plus 3

TECH Entry 4

            This week, the strategy I used to help me out with my classes is the “1 Plus 3 Note-Taking Method,” and I used it for HST 231 in preparation for an upcoming exam and REL 205 in order to help me out with the readings and papers.  The reason I chose to use this strategy is because I learn very well visually and this method makes use of a great visual aid that could really help me.  The 1 Plus 3 Note-taking strategy is good for more than just predicting test questions in my opinion as I was able to successfully use it to help me with papers and readings in that I outlined what would work for an assignment and how to quickly scan the readings for specific information.

 My overall opinion of this strategy is that it works; and for multiple reasons: first, it is extremely flexible and can be adapted to any purpose; second, it can be used to quickly and efficiently summarize lengthy notes after class and called upon at later dates to serve studying needs; three, it can be done on any computer that has a word processing application.

Problem Solving: One Step at a Time

            This week, the strategy I used to help me out was the “One Step at a Time” problem solving strategy; and I used it successfully in two very different ways.  The first way I used it was specifically for HST 231 to outline the individual steps I would need to take to write a research paper due the next morning in class that I had started but was far from finishing.  Using the strategy like this helped me to write the paper with a calm mind and enabled me to not just finish it, but to write it with clarity and stay focused on what was expected of the assignment and how it was going to be graded.  My reasoning for using this strategy in this way was because it clearly showed me what I needed to do and in what order, reminded myself what would happen if I failed to finish it, and made it clear that I had to get it done.

            The other way I am using it is by applying the strategy collectively for REL 205, CLS 105, and IST 195 to keep myself guided and on track over the course of twelve days to finish work that will be due in sixteen days.  The reason I am working so far out in the future is because my girlfriend from back home is coming out to visit and will be staying with me for four days.  The thinking is that the less work I have to do for the week following her visit, the more time I can spend with her; and using the “One Step at a Time” strategy functions as a reminder for why I should spend the extra effort to work overtime.  A second function of using the strategy like this is that it lists the different steps I need to take in order to successfully meet my goal.  Another bonus for using the strategy this way is that it plays to the fundamentals of my work ethic: minimizing stress levels.