Turning Resolutions into Goals – Part 1/2

 
An image of the Eaton Center during the winter holiday season - there are 3 giant reindeer made from LED lights
One of my new year's resolution was to improve my photography methods by taking a picture a week
  January is the month of New Year's resolutions – discounted gym memberships, free calendars, half price journals and schedules, cook books with new recipes for the year, etc. It seems as if everyone is ready to ditch their old habits from the previous year and start a fresh positive life. However, as January ends, this hype slowly fades away. Why?

Scheduling Your Way to Success

With November coming to an end, finals are rapidly approaching and it’s time for us to start preparing!   I’m going to be honest with you, the first thing I did after seeing the exam schedule for this semester was panic – I have 3 exams within 2 days. If I want to do my best on all my exams, cramming isn’t an option. Therefore, it’s time to start scheduling my time wisely.  
A picture of my arm with a blue watch
Time is ticking

How To Complete A Large Task

Imagine you are a waiter/waitress. It’s currently rush hour at the restaurant you work at, and you have 24 plates of food to deliver to the customers in the eating area. Based on past experience at your job, you know that you can handle carrying 3 plates at a time. How would you deliver the plates to customers?

A) Take only 1 trip from the kitchen to the eating area – carrying 24 plates at a time. B) Take 2 trips from the kitchen to the eating area – carrying 12 plates at a time. C) Take 8 trips from the kitchen to the eating area – carrying 3 plates at a time.

My Experience With The Academic Success Center Drop-Ins!

Picture of entrance to the ASC Hey guys! In last week's post, I had vowed that I would go to the Academic Success Centre (ASC) during the drop-in hours to meet with a learning strategist to help me prepare for my upcoming midterms. A learning strategist is a trained professional who provides individualized academic support; they help you understand your learning style and guide you towards the appropriate strategies to maximize your learning efficiency. During the ASC drop-in hours, you can meet with a learning strategist for up to 30 minutes. The ASC is located in the Koffler Student Services Centre building at 214 College St. Drop-in hours for this Fall semester are:
  • Tuesdays: 10a.m. - 12p.m
  • Fridays: 1:30p.m. - 3:30p.m.
Here is an account of my first-time experience with meeting a learning strategist:

Balancing School and Self-Care (Part One)

The most difficult part of my university experience so far has been learning how to balance. Every September, I am thrown off my feet by my new schedule, and just when I feel like I have a routine set up, midterms hit. As the type of person who insists on combing through every single reading, I often find myself overwhelmed by schoolwork and unsure how to fit in any much-needed self-care activities. However, spending 8-hour blocks on studying or writing has never worked for me either. I lose focus after a few hours at most, and often end the day cranky and tense from so much studying at once. Last winter semester, during a particularly difficult academic period, I went to see my college's learning strategist for help. Here are some memorable tips that I learned from her, as well as some personal ones that work for me.
"Midterms" carved into pumpkin
Source: Rusaba Alam

When Life gives you Readings, Find a Library

I live alone. I chose to live alone, and for all intents and purposes I truly enjoy living without a roommate. I have the freedom to walk around in my boxers as I please while singing nineties pop songs at the top of my lungs. On a more practical level, I thought that living alone would allow me to live in a haven of focus and concentration. A space where I could hide away and focus on my studies without distraction. It turns out that my apartment will probably never become a distraction-free study space.
A photo of a lap top screen in front of a television screen with a lady on the television
super meta, I know!
But to compensate for the bounty of distraction that I face in my apartment, I have learned the value of essentially living in various libraries, and by various, I mean three different ones. So I thought I would write about them.