Jessica’s Journal

I am posting my study timetable today; this is a text version, not a visual; I’ll post my visual one eventually :)  It’s only of when I study, not anything inbetween- I didn’t think that was necessary.

Monday total 4 hours

5.00-6.15  study
8.35-9.55  homework, then study [free period]
11.00-11.40  study [free period]
19.00-19.45 study

Tuesday total ~3 hours

5.30-7.15 study  (with a small break inbetween )
8.35-9.55  homework, then study [free period]

Wednesday total 4 hours

5.00-6.20  study
9.15-10.35  homework, then study [free period]
11.40-13.00  free periods again, h/w, study
5 mins review in evening

Thursday total 4 hours

5.30-7.15  study
8.35-9.55  homework, then study [free period]
11.00-11.40  study [free period]
15 min review in evening

Friday total 4 hours

5.00-6.20  study
11.00-13.00  free periods; homework, then study
13.50-14.30  study [finish all h/w for weekend!]

Saturday/Sunday

Depending on the particular weekend, I anticipate my planned study for these days will vary. My aim, though, is 4-6 hours on ONE of the days (I will increase the time as I get more used to it). But, given I work on saturday, go out saturday night and I don’t have anything on sunday, I’ll try to do something like this:

Sunday

10.00- 12.00 study
—break, lunch—
2.00-6.00 study
Evening: review that week, plan next week’s study, look at how my goals are going, etc..

Thoughts on the Study Timetable

Obviously I’m very lucky that I have so many free periods; most days I can get two hours done during school hours, which is really useful; I’ve tried to build my timetable by taking that into consideration. Also I’m about to join the gym, which has some really nice classes I’m planning to go to regularly; they’re all between 5.30 and 7.30 each day, so scheduling study then wouldn’t be a good idea

Also, I’ve designed it so that I mainly have study in the morning as opposed to the afternoon. I hate studying just after school; it’s one of my more lethargic times, when I don’t have much energy. It would be silly of me to try to force myself to do something which I already have such a block against; it’s all about the study ’smart’ thing. The days I start early - extension classes or choir - I’m going to get up at 5; the days I don’t I’m thinking I’ll get up at 5.30.  OR I could get up at 5 those days too, make it a habit, but do something other than study for the first half hour? I don’t know. I’ll re-evaluate soon, it depends if this timetable works or not.

While tying up my timetable I was thinking about how I could change it during more intensive study times, like pre-exam periods; it seems quite easy to do, I’ll just add some hours to the evenings, perhaps more weekend hours, too?

The good thing about these timetables are that you don’t need to keep them the same; they don’t HAVE to last all year. You can rewrite it every day if you want; as many revisions that are necessary for you to get the most out of your study ^^

Please tell me if this helped you.

November 20th, 2008 | Tags: Study Skills, success, timetable | Category: Study Skills | Leave a comment

It’s important to reward yourself, right? People often talk about that, whether it’s about setting goals, or defeating procrastination, or defeating that tetris score. (I have to stop wasting my time on tetris )

Anyway. I decided, on a whim, to try out creating a reward for myself to get an assignment done a few days before the due-date… I had a Caramello Koala (oh, those ever-tempting Freddo boxes..!) which I knew I really .. shouldn’t be eating :D  It was like the third that week.   So I decided to make it special, make myself appreciate it.

I put a sticker on it, saying “English assessment finished early”. That is the condition that I get to enjoy it.

If I fail I will give it to my brother without having a single bite.

I actually like this reward thing, I feel pretty happy :D  AND I haven’t succumbed to cheating, and it’s been three days already! I’m planning to enjoy the reward very latest Saturday, though. Gotta get to revising my first speech-draft….!

Thanks for reading, enjoy your own ‘treats’ the rest of the week has in store for you

November 19th, 2008 | Tags: happy, motivation, reward | Category: Random Stuff | Comments (1)

The ideal order of priorities during study sessions:

1. Complete any homework issued that day
2. If no homework issued– spend 10-15 mins per subject reviewing the material presented that day
3. Complete assessment tasks
4. Compile summaries
5. Read topic materials in advance of school
6. Review past topics
7. Practice sample examination questions.

I think these tips are really good; I love having clearly defined “rules” to do stuff with (well, I don’t like rules… ah, you know what I mean). So, I’m putting this list on my wall to help me focus during study

In school today we had a study-skills lecture, hurrah. So, in the last three days I’ve spent 4 and a half HOURS in study skills lectures Go, me. At least this is yet an extra little boost to motivate me, which is good. Because I rediscovered the joys of Facebook on the weekend, which is so silly of me (if I wasn’t addicted before, I shouldn’t have risked it!).. but hey, life wasn’t meant to be easy

Another thing mini-tip that I got from the TSFX lecture was to:

Spend at least 10 minutes each night reading your English texts OUT LOUD.

I’m going to try this out, because it does make a lot of sense– you remember more by reciting than simple reading silently, because you’ve got both auditory, visual and semantic going for you then ^^

My baby brother is now pulling at me to come play.  “Come-on”, he says, tugs at my elbow. “Sicka play wii.”  He’s so adorable… he slept in my bed last night, silly infant, kicked at my back in the early hours of the morning. I was too tired to be bothered to put him back in his own bed

Anyway, gotta go. Bye! Thanks again for reading

November 18th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (5)

I love quotes– here are some that I liked from the TSFX lecture on Sunday.

The winner says “it may be difficult, but it’s possible”; the loser says “it may be possible but it’s too difficult”.

Before the beginning of great brilliance and beauty there first must be a period of complete chaos.   - I-Ching

If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn’t.   -Lyall Watson

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.     -Confucius

And finally my favourite:

It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.

November 17th, 2008 | Tags: inspiration, quote | Category: Random Stuff | Comments (4)

I went to Maquarie Uni today, for the TSFX ‘Mastering the HSC’ free lecture– I enjoyed it, and now have plenty of new little tricks I want to experiment with

The thing that most stood out to me, and what I want to discuss first, is the idea of “one stitch in time saves nine”… the lecturer kept coming back to this idea, and I really like it. It’s all about completing tasks as you get them, as soon as possible, because it will save you immense amounts of time in the long run… it’s also about when revising– if you spend a few minutes each week, going over material and lodging it deep into your long-term memory, then you save the dozens of hours it takes to, in the pre-exam period, re-learn everything and cram it back into short-term.

What did I get from this idea?

• Assignments should be completed as soon as you get them. Well, I already knew this, but I haven’t been practising it.. when you put off an assignment, you waste time in the long-run.
• Constant, gradual revision! Learn the stuff as you go and not all at once near the ‘end’!
• it’s waaay easier just to get stuff over with instead of wasting time procrastinating

Well. Not much new. Just a re-establishing of ideas, an extra push to help me develop & sustain all these little habits I want to have

I’m glad I went to this TSFX lecture, I thought it was worthwhile :)   Tomorrow I’ll talk about the other little saying that was repeated throughout: “you can have your cake and eat it, too”…  I love that

November 16th, 2008 | Tags: procrastination, Study Skills, time management | Category: Study Skills | Comments (1)

Dilemma: should I apply for cosmology or philosophy?

I can see myself enjoying both!

Philosophy seems really fun, but also really useful– the higher-level thinking skills as well as essay-writing skills would probably be something I could apply to a lot of other subjects. Then again, it’s more popular, so it’s harder to get in.. what if I apply for it, then don’t get in??

Cosmology on the other hand, though really interesting, I don’t think is as useful. The skills learnt in it can’t really be applied in as many ways as philosophy can… BUT I think I would still enjoy it, and I assume, because less people want to do it, that it would be easier for me to get in to…

Which one should I apply for??

I think I’ll wait with handing in my application until AFTER the information day (next friday!)  

November 15th, 2008 | Tags: choice, cosmology, distinction course, philosophy | Category: My Progress | Comments (6)

Finally I feel like I’m getting into a rhythm here, with study. Things are going well; my initial few weeks of awkwardness and experimentation weren’t for nought!  I now have time allocated to do study (not quite a study timetable, but close enough…); methods for deciding which studies to do; techniques & ways in which to learn and memorise information…

I’ve had an idea -since yesterday- as to how to use my school diary more productively. It requires pictures to explain, so tomorrow I’m going to take a photo of my diary to illustrate my point… but I really like it, I want to share it :)  It a way to track the progress I’m making with assessment tasks, as well as the setting of little mini-goals…  and I think the whole system will really suit me and the way I work. It’s good!

Stick around until tomorrow; I’m updating this post then.. Updated! With pictures! More »

November 14th, 2008 | Tags: goals, homework, Study Skills, system | Category: My Progress, Study Skills | Comments (4)

Isn’t it annoying, when something tiny and insignificant throws off your entire enthusiasm in a task and makes you want to stop altogether?

Like when you sit down to study, but you don’t have a blue biro nearby?

Or when you have no sharpener available for your pencil at that moment, so you give up trying to draw?

Or you feel REALLY inspired to cook (for once!) and you know exactly what you want to cook, but you can’t find it in any of the cookbooks, so after 15 minutes your patience gives in and you go do something else..?

It’s not just me, is it? Or perhaps it IS just me, perhaps I give up easily? ;)  Tell me if it happens to you..

Short post. (At least I didn’t give you a lone full stop today, I was close to )

November 13th, 2008 | Category: Random Stuff | Comments (6)

Well. This topic may be boring you by now, but until I have this figured out and going well, it will keep absorbing me!

So. The first four weeks of school did not go well, study-wise (lets be honest here ). I studied in school, but not at home. I tried to force myself to study when I got home, but there was just so much resistance to it! I didn’t feel in the mood, I didn’t have energy, I wanted to do other things…

I think I have the solution.

You see, I could keep trying to force myself. You know, ‘mind over matter’, build the habit, get motivated bla bla bla. But it DIDN’T WORK! So, I’m not going to try force myself, I’m going to just re-design the habit This is what personal development is about, right? It’s personal. It’s something you craft to fit you, uniquely you, even if it’s not what other’s might do.

I’ve realised I naturally have very little energy in the afternoons; it’s just how I am. Weeks and weeks ago, I blogged about early rising, something I think is really interesting, but I intentionally dismissed it because I felt sleep was more important to me right then. I’m going to pick it up again (did, in fact, this very morning) purely because I have more energy then! I can actually think clearly, I can focus, there are no distractions. So logically, I should have realised this before.

From now on I won’t worry about studying after I get home from school; I’m going to do that study in the mornings, instead, when I’m fresh. On Monday, Wednesdays and Friday that will get me 1.5 hours of study, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I’ll be able to do 2.5 hours. Combine that with school-time study, and that’ll get me a nice average of 4 hours every day. This morning, I tried it, and it worked! Hurrah!

New Goal: Get up at 5am every week day and study until school time.

I’m confident this will actually work. Hopefully the creases in my routine can slowly be ironed out. Small improvement every day leads to exponential improvement in the long run. Go, me!

November 12th, 2008 | Tags: change, HSC, personal development, routine, Study Skills, study timetable | Category: My Progress | Comments (1)