168 hours That’s all there is. We can’t make more. They go by as they go by. We have only 168 hours per week to do everything that needs to get done. Like a cash only life, when there is nothing left, it’s gone - there’s no such thing as overdraft protection with our time. The other day I was feeling ragged, worn out and like I was burning the candle at both ends, That's when I realized I had NOT done my usual practice and planned out my semester like I usually do. I forgot to budget my time before adding in any extras. There are a few non-negotiable items in my life that include
However, going from working in PMOs to being a student included a HUGE pay-cut, and I still struggle with my value if I am not bringing home a regular paycheck that helps support my family. I am lucky enough to have a husband who fully supports my education and makes a decent wage but that feeling still nags at me. And, I absolutely loooooooove helping students each semester as a tutor, and may possibly be addicted to that feeling (recovering codependent here) of seeing the light come on when a student makes connections. When I have students come in for Tutor coaching, one of the first things we do is look at how they spend those 168 hours. Sleep, grooming, preparing eating and cleaning up after meals, commutes, work, and time in class. If there are family commitments, church, jobs, or other sports hobbies etc. we add those in too. The farther down the list we get, the more we realize that time is running out. The good news is that we have more control over that time than what we pretend to. I wish I could say that I made my own worksheets, but I did not. However, there are countless ways to track this time. Personally, I like to use this worksheet from University of Manitoba in Canada. If you are a student, it automatically figures out the idea amount of time to study based on the units for that semester, and for non-students, leaving the school areas blank allows for the same basic functionality and seeing concretely where we are taking out loans against relationships, interests, etc. If you want to look at how you are spending your week, click the box below to download the tracker I use. Xo,
Michelle
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Do you know how to utilize your $150 textbook? As a tutor, my goal is to create independent students who not only know the material, but how to learn it when I am not available for help. So, the first 2-3 minutes of every session start off with the following questions:
Now this can go for any subject, from Anthropology to Algebra and everything in between, so the questions are universal and don't really change from student to student. The thing is, when I ask what tools students are using, they rarely cite their textbook or professor as a tool. Instead, it will be YouTube videos, another student, or maybe even "nothing" that they reference. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked a student to open the book and ask if they know how to read it. Most look at me like I am nuts, but some admit that they don't know what I am talking about.. especially math students. It's baffling how many students, after teaching them how to read their textbook, look at me with tears and say thank you because nobody taught them before. Here are my tips to help students learn how to read the textbook to understand.
Here's a quick look at my notebook pages - Click on each to zoom If you are a classmate, professor, or student I tutor, you will likely see a notebook like the one above with an index in the first few pages, followed by chapter notes that follow with objectives, vocab, and key learnings written down. For me, this has many benefits - The first is that because I generally make my notes prior to class, I don't have to lug the entire textbook with me to have key information at my fingertips. Second, when I go to see my tutor, I can check for understanding on certain things that I am not 100% clear about. Finally, organization pays off - and if I have rented the textbook and the book is due 5 days before my final (like this fall), my notebook and past exams are all I really need to study. Personally, I am a proponent of writing things down because for me, reading words requires only the reading of letters, which form sentences, which have to be give meaning through a range of internal processes. However, writing things down requires reading, processing the information, and then using a different part of your brain to physically use a pencil to write those ideas down. Somewhere I read that writing it down is like reading it 7 times. Probably not true, but I can promise that the things I write (not type) I remember much better and can even visualize where in my notebook I wrote it down, which for me can help when taking a quiz of exam. When people see my planner, often they do not understand my method. In fact, I had someone ask me so many questions recently about why I don't block off time for certain things that I started to really look at it. Why do I plan by task? I think that the short answer is, I feel like I failed if I don't do what is on the list for the day or the time slot it is in. For me, that puts me into a giant shame spiral that spins into oblivion. My method keeps me sane. The longer answer is that sometimes because of the hats I wear, my list of things to do grows too long and, my planner acts as a brain dumping spot for me to not lose track of things that are important. Other times, I just don't know how long something is going to take so, it's easier to stay flexible and allow myself the time needed to do each thing so that I never feel the need to multi-task or over commit my schedule. |
AuthorI'm Michelle, and I've got a full plate! As a full-time dietetics student, step-mom, wife, study coach, and tutor in my late 30's, some days I'm barely scraping by. But, no matter what is on my plate, it's always gluten free! Categories
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