Priorities Create PURPOSE

Ranking Priorities, out of all the strategies we learned this week the method of ranking priorities fit my learning style. After using all 5 methods, This method stood out and benefit me mostly.
This week in my CLS 105 and SOM 122 class I have a large amount of work due. The work due for these classes are very important assignments for example in SOM 122 I have my midterm on Wednesday and for CLS, a project due Monday. I wanted to make sure I would get these assignments done efficiently and effectively. This strategy was extremely effective, I labeled my assignments for these two courses by:
A= Absolutely Essential
B= Important
C= Optional
This method enabled me to complete my work in order of importance rather then just doing my work randomly. I'm able to look right in front of me and determine which paper to do first by looking at the letter then also looking at the number next to the letter to determine the order in which I should complete the assignments.
For Example: If studying for my SOM midterm is in category 1 and completing my Faculty Interview project also is in that category I would label the one i want to get done first with #1 and then label the other #2:
A1- Study for SOM Midterm
A2- Complete Faculty Interview Project
I learned how to use this problem solving strategy to complete my work by importance, not length. I used the Ranking Priorities ( labeling my assignments A,B,C) strategy to complete my work. This strategy was an easy choice, This strategy has helped me complete my assignment this week very efficiently, and that is unlike me. I usually complete whichever assignment is the shortest first and leave the longest ones last. This past week I didn't do that, I completed my assignment in the order of due date and importance.

Jeopardy notes

Jeopardy notes was a very helpful strategy. I do not learn material very quickly, and I learn best by asking myself questions of the material and go over it as much as possible until I can memorize it. Taking notes during class, and coming up with questions for it after clicks very well with me. I do not learn good with visuals, or anything else that I cannot sit there for awhile and go over questions or the material over and over again, so Jeopardy notes was the most useful strategy for me. This will be the best way for me to do well on tests, because I will force myself to have to know every question that I ask myself, and it will work out perfectly considering It will cover all of the material that I took notes on during class. I am glad I learned this strategy because I have always been a very poor test taker, but I am hoping, and thinking that Jeopardy notes will change that.

D's Due's and Do's for A

This past week, as usual, the improvement of my Time & Task Management was a goal that I stressed. Using the strategies discussed in CLS 105, I found "D's Due's and Do's" to be most helpful and successful. It was something new to me but the basic idea of it and method wasn't.

Although I used the Due's and Do's in every aspect of my schedule, academic and extracurricular, it was most useful with my Calc-III (MAT 397) and CLS (CLS 105) courses. I started by going to the monthly calendar of my planner and writing in major due dates, followed by putting those along with more specific due dates in the right half of the weekly part of my planner on Sunday night. On the left portion of my weekly planner, I wrote down everything that I would do each day, based on the due dates, by breaking down the major due dates, and adding in any other smaller tasks as the week went along.

I found D's Due's and Do's to be real effective because it put everything that I needed to do right in front of me all in one place in a very organized and easy-to-do manner. Before learning this strategy along with others, although I owned a planner every semester, I used to simply keep all of my tasks in my head with the exception of the written down due date of a major assignment. More times than not, this was a very unproductive and unsuccessful strategy because I was always scrambling to remember things and when I don't have everything laid out properly I worry and stress, always thinking that there's something that I should be doing.

I know that I'm the type of guy to wait last minute for things when all I do is keep the due date in mind, but D's Due's and Do's expanded the schedule of assignments out so well. CLS 105 has assignments, short readings, or tasks due every class and often times I would wait until 10 o'clock the night before because I just wouldn't remember what I needed to do. This strategy keeps me conscious of my tasks and activities at all times. Roughly the same occurred in my Calc course; I have assignments due on a weekly basis but they are very lengthy so I would wait the day before to complete it when I wouldn't always produce my best work or get the chance to truly understand what I was doing.

D's Do's and Due's is extremely simple and short to do, and will work with ANYONE no matter the learning style, habits, or classes taken. If it worked for me, it'll work for you.

Target Planner

The target planner was a very helpful strategy. I used this in CLS 105 for the Faculty Interview Project. It spread my task's out so I did not have to cram this extensive project. It created due dates for each part of the assignment so that I did not fall behind. This has been effective and has kept me on track to complete the assignment on time. I definitely feel this is a good way to stay on top of your tasks. I am on task to complete this project with time to spare. I usually cram these kinds of projects but this has kept me on the right track. I chose this strategy because, like stated previously, I am notorious for cramming. This helped me to spread out each part of this project to but me in a good position to finish on time.

I also used this target planner for one of my papers in WRT 105. This is a 5- page paper that I have been working on since the second week of school. I set a target planner that contained me creating an outline, writing a rough draft, completing the paper, and making a final draft. This helped me to spread my time out so I do not write the whole essay the night before. This has been helpful because it gives me time to think of more ideas and make my paper more thorough. I chose this strategy because it helped me create an agenda for when I would complete each part of the paper.

Rob Leitner

Fritter Finder

After learning the Time and Task Management strategies in my CLS 105 class I came to the conclusion that the Fritter Finder strategy would benefit me the most. This past week I used the Fritter Finder method to help me in all of my courses. This method specifically aided me in my Astronomy 101 course and Writing 105 course. This strategy was extremely effective for my learning style. I looked at the empty time slots in my weekly class schedule and put my astronomy and writing work in those open periods of time. I highlighted the boxes that I was using for "work time" so these periods of time would stand out and I know I had to work during those times. This helped me manage my time more efficiently and Therefore enabled me to have my work done by 7:30pm during the week. I completed all the work that I scheduled for myself to do in those open periods of time. Before implementing this strategy I was doing all my work till 12:30am and was not spending my time wisely. This made the first three weeks of college extremely hard on me. If I had to choose the best decision I made so far in college it was to take CLS 105. The strategies we've learned, especially Fritter Finder have helped my ability to manage my time and tasks greatly. Out of all the strategies we learned I chose this strategy because after every class the first thing I do is I look at my schedule. I used to see blank boxes in those free periods so I end up having an extended lunch, exploring the internet, or watching T.V. Now when I look at my schedule and see an assignment for that period of time I'll know I have to work. Writing my schedule out and viewing what I have to accomplish at a specific time will encourage me to complete the given task. I believe that this method will make college easier for me. In my opinion you must have effective time and task management to succeed in life because when you can manage yourself promptly everything becomes easier. This enables you to live life stress free and to its fullest.

TECH #1 Time Management

The strategies that I chose for this week were the D’s Due & Do Organizer and the Target Planner for my Acting for Non-Majors course. These strategies proved to be very efficient and helpful in keeping track of time, and organizing my assignments so I know how much time I need to complete them and which days I need to work on them. I used my target planner specifically for planning out rehearsals for a scene I’ll be acting out in class. At the center of my Target Planner is the date I will be performing the scene with my scene partners, without using a script. The ring outside of that is the date of my final out of class rehearsal with my scene partners and the next ring outside of that is the date I’ll be rehearsing in class with scene partners and the date of which my scene analysis is due. The next two rings show me the date of the first out of class scene rehearsal and time I’ll have to work on my scene analysis.

The other strategy I used for my Acting class was the D’s Do & Due’s organizer. I don’t think this strategy was as effective as the Target Planner because, with the target planner I could focus on a specific assignment and break it down into chunks and dates that were manageable to accomplish. In the D’s Do & Due’s organizer, all my assignments were spread out on to various dates and weren’t very specific as to what I should do. The D’s organizer expected me to provide all the due dates I had and when I would accomplish all my assignments in the future, but the problem is it’s hard to plan that far ahead. If one of my other courses does not decide to post a syllabus and I pick a specific date to work on an assignment, how will I know there won’t be another assignment I’ll have to work on at that very same date? My D’s organizer was also very messy, there were lots of dates to do the assignments but they didn’t necessarily mean anything to me. I like the fact that the target planner only focus’s on one big assignment instead of a bunch of little assignments because it’s much more organized, clear, and makes the completion of that assignment less over whelming. If I had to choose between using either of these strategies in the future, I’d have to choose the target planner.

Since I’m a visual learner, I chose the Target Planner and the D’s Do & Due’s organizer because they clearly portrayed my assignments due dates visually. When I can visual see the span of time I have to complete an assignment, I make smarter decisions on how to approach it. I think I will need a lot of pictures and diagrams in my Acting for Non-majors course to succeed. These visual devices will be very helpful in understanding what a project needs and how to approach it. I think paying attention to the lectures will be essential to performing at my best in my acting course, since all the information is taught by word of mouth, and I have learned that if I listen rather than take notes, I actually remember more information when I need it on tests. The grading for my acting course is mostly based on performances, quizzes and Script analysis, so it is vital to keep track of specific due dates of performances, analysis’s, and upcoming quizzes. That is why I think the target planner, along side the D’s Do & Due’s organizer will be very helpful throughout the semester of Acting for Non-majors.

Sample

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