I Can Manage my Time?! News to me..

I used to have too much time. So to solve this problem, and to make some extra pocket money for school, I contacted the Department of Recreation over the summer to ensure I would be hired for the very competitive, "fitness center attendant" job. Don't get me wrong I love working at the gym, but there is no doubt that my gym job exhausts me...given it requires absolutely no physical activity or mental stimulation. This is not a joke. But still after each shift, I am emotionally and mentally drained. When I'm working at Archbold Gym and the radio is non-stop playing jams like Rihanna's, "Cheers to the Freakin Weekend," how exactly am I supposed to sit down and whip out a four page, double spaced paper on the interlocking of systems between racism and gender discrimination in a patriarchal society which has embedded itself deep within our country for my Women and Gender Studies class?! I will point blank say that none of my work gets done when I am working at the gym over at Marshall Square Mall either. When the T.V directly to my left is playing "Toddlers and Tiara's," with subtitles perfect for me to read along with, it will always win over my homework..no matter how degrading and horrible that show is. My excuse at the end of the day is always that I am too tired to do work, and more and more often I say, "I will do that assignment tomorrow." Yeah I say that for a few days...and when you scroll down and see all the free time in my schedule...I actually sound like a complainer.

This Fritter Finder is one of the most amazing strategies I have ever used. And all I had to do was color a few boxes in with a highlighter...It forces me to visually see all of the time that I actually have to do my homework every week. Which by the way ended up being 28 hours of free time, and I had to color in my "Friday," to understand that I actually have all day on Friday. SO, now I use my "yellow" space, and plan out my days in the morning figuring out when I will be going to the library and which books I am going to leave my room with. This week I was successfully able to use it to study for ECN203. Right after ECN, I like to go through the textbook again to fill in my notes and re-write them to help the information stick in head. However, its difficult for me to do this right after class, as I like to prepare for my next three classes of the day in this small break, where I also have toeat lunch. Using the Fritter Finder allowed me to fill in times where I can study for ECN, on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. This helped me become a better learner, as I was able to plan out different times (taking action) to learn the material and therefore become a more efficient student.

Another technique that has been very beneficial for me is setting my notes up to look like Jeopardy. To be completely honest, the first time I learned that this was a strategy we had to

apply to one of our classes, I didn't think it would work. It seemed a bit juvenile, only because it's a game we used to play in middle school to practice for our social studies tests. However, after setting up my notes like this for my MAT121 class, I realized that it actually helped me the most out of all the strategies I had practiced to date. I am able to write notes on the right page during class, and simultaneously write numbered test questions on the page to its left. When it comes to future test, I will already have set up several mini practice questions for myself. This strategy helps me to demonstrate the material in a way that will allow me to become a more successful learner, by simply creating a page set up that looks like a practice test.

Using a Jeopardy setup in my notes challenges me to recall information, and therefore, I will be able to apply it to other math problems once I have the formulas and terminology memorized. I can already notice how much it helps me learn material just after a few days of using it. As I have a test coming up next Wednesday, I will continue to use this strategy, as the statistical terms we are beginning to learn are more and more challenging with each passing class.

But hey, at least I have 28 hours to study for it...who would’ve known??

At the end of every day, I have to understand that everyone has work to do, and eventually all of my friends will have jobs and have to balance everything as well. But the thing I will now remember, is that I actually do have time, and there are many ways for me to spend it using strategies that will help me succeed in all of my classes.