Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:34 pm
This is a bit awkward because I normally don't talk about this stuff...
So, lately I've been studying and doing classwork for, what seems to me, far too long a time. I find that I am unable to play a game, read a book, or do any recreational activities because my time is taken entirely by work. This has been going on for the past 2-3 weeks, and lately it's been hard to keep myself from flipping my theoretical and literal table.
I'd like to ask if anyone has ideas or actions I could take that would assist me (techniques people have used to get work done faster etc.). I can't drop any classes because school rules state that I must take 6 periods/courses to be considered part of the academic program, so I'm in a bind...
If anyone can help, thank you very much.
So, lately I've been studying and doing classwork for, what seems to me, far too long a time. I find that I am unable to play a game, read a book, or do any recreational activities because my time is taken entirely by work. This has been going on for the past 2-3 weeks, and lately it's been hard to keep myself from flipping my theoretical and literal table.
I'd like to ask if anyone has ideas or actions I could take that would assist me (techniques people have used to get work done faster etc.). I can't drop any classes because school rules state that I must take 6 periods/courses to be considered part of the academic program, so I'm in a bind...
If anyone can help, thank you very much.
Tue Oct 22, 2013 11:43 pm
Planning... If you're not already doing so!
Plan your days & work load with some you time in those plans!
If you have clear time frames/deadlines, you'll be surprised how you get done with your work on time!
Good luck!
Plan your days & work load with some you time in those plans!
If you have clear time frames/deadlines, you'll be surprised how you get done with your work on time!
Good luck!
Tue Oct 22, 2013 11:58 pm
I'm not sure if all your studies are indoors, but I would say to try and mix it up a bit and do some of your studying or reading outside if possible. Some sunshine should cheer you up or at least break a routine cycle. 
Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:00 am
Yeah I always find doing my studies in a cafe helps. I go down to Costa, leech their internet and do all my studies there, I feel like I'm out and it's fun to sit there and work with endless skinny vanilla lattes (I manage to get one free every now and then).
But plan EVERYTHING. I make a to do list, and believe me put everything on there even if its a small tiny job, crossing it off is so immensely satisfying.
Taking a break for half an hour with a stop watch is important as well, always always give yourself recreational time. Half an hour seems like a lot but really it isn't, when studies are taking up that much time it's a drop in the ocean, also never do anything to do with studying while you eat breakfast/lunch/dinner. Take that time to yourself as you can regulate your eating better and it's a good break to take.
But plan EVERYTHING. I make a to do list, and believe me put everything on there even if its a small tiny job, crossing it off is so immensely satisfying.
Taking a break for half an hour with a stop watch is important as well, always always give yourself recreational time. Half an hour seems like a lot but really it isn't, when studies are taking up that much time it's a drop in the ocean, also never do anything to do with studying while you eat breakfast/lunch/dinner. Take that time to yourself as you can regulate your eating better and it's a good break to take.
Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:42 am
I try to squash as much work as I can into one day so that I can have another off.
E.g.
If I have coursework in for Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll try to do it all on the Monday so I have the Tuesday off.
I also take advantage of any free time I have when I'm at college. I had a massive 2 hour break today so I got a couple hours worth of work done then and now I'm free tonight because I've already done it. If you dont have any frees though during the day then... well that REALLY sucks!
Also, see if your school offers some support for this stuff. I know my college has a programme that tries to ease the work load you have by re-arranging your timetable and discussing with your tutors whether all the work being set is necessary.
Hopefully it will calm down in a few weeks. In education there tends to be really stressful periods where you have every deadline possible coming up and you have no free time to yourself and then the next week you have so much free time you struggle to find things to do!
I hope it all eases off for you buddy
E.g.
If I have coursework in for Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll try to do it all on the Monday so I have the Tuesday off.
I also take advantage of any free time I have when I'm at college. I had a massive 2 hour break today so I got a couple hours worth of work done then and now I'm free tonight because I've already done it. If you dont have any frees though during the day then... well that REALLY sucks!
Also, see if your school offers some support for this stuff. I know my college has a programme that tries to ease the work load you have by re-arranging your timetable and discussing with your tutors whether all the work being set is necessary.
Hopefully it will calm down in a few weeks. In education there tends to be really stressful periods where you have every deadline possible coming up and you have no free time to yourself and then the next week you have so much free time you struggle to find things to do!
I hope it all eases off for you buddy
Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:07 pm
Hey, thanks for all the input. The deadline thing's really helping out, along with the breaks. 
I've talked with my counselor about things I could do, and we've come up with some plans that should help. Thanks for all the advice people have giiven.
See you on the mountain.
I've talked with my counselor about things I could do, and we've come up with some plans that should help. Thanks for all the advice people have giiven.
See you on the mountain.
Fri Oct 25, 2013 1:34 am
Write it out. Write out when you go to class and then look at all the free time you have. Then fill that blank space with the things you want to do during that time. There will be some time left. I haven't played for a long time myself so I know where you are.
Definitely try to do some of the school stuff in the tiny spaces of times that open up sometimes. I commute to school by public transit and I noticed that I spend most of the time just sitting starring out the window so I started typing out my homework or reading a chapter just during my commute. I would often end up finishing my homework. By the time I get back home I can do whatever I want. Usually I go to the gym and then take a nap.
Another thing. I stopped listening to music while I do any work and I managed to finish everything in half an hour instead of 2 hours.
Definitely try to do some of the school stuff in the tiny spaces of times that open up sometimes. I commute to school by public transit and I noticed that I spend most of the time just sitting starring out the window so I started typing out my homework or reading a chapter just during my commute. I would often end up finishing my homework. By the time I get back home I can do whatever I want. Usually I go to the gym and then take a nap.
Another thing. I stopped listening to music while I do any work and I managed to finish everything in half an hour instead of 2 hours.
Fri Oct 25, 2013 11:43 am
6 *classes* or six *credits*? Because six classes is around 24 credit hours.
Anyways, I have the same problem you do. I just had to stop playing video games except on Fridays, because I don't have any homework or job work on Friday afternoon.
Anyways, I have the same problem you do. I just had to stop playing video games except on Fridays, because I don't have any homework or job work on Friday afternoon.
Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:02 am
Hi Gold Fingers:
I have a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature--and have taken doctoral classes in this field too--so I fully understand that sometimes academic study can prove quite-consuming. Fortunately, I can offer some tips.
1. Meet with your teachers, and voice your concerns. However, leave any mention of "personal time" out of discussion, unless 1) the issue is raised, 2) you trust your instructor enough to speak of such issues, or 3) if a combination former and the latter somehow manifests itself during that given conversation. Otherwise, just make the entire meeting about ways of attaining the highest grade possible, while, simultaneously, finding the best possible way to use and develop the critical thinking tools that particular course has to offer. However, I would avoid telling guidance counselors in advance about your plan, unless, again, you feel that they have your best interests in mind. In sum, informing all teachers that you have no personal time due to schoolwork might be interpreted by some to mean that you possess little scholastic drive, while revealing your scheme to certain guidance counselors might cause them to question whether or not you belong in a particular course.
2. When you converse with your teachers, see if you can receive their syllabi and do their assignments in advance.
3. Be one of the students who continuously set up appointments with the instructor. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses, and, if possible, diagram or outline your problem-solving process on a piece of paper. In the case of an essay, compose notes that provide a step-by-step description of what you are trying to do and why. Also, explain the outline to your instructor as he or she is perusing through your paper. When you discover a fallacious step in your delineation, ask that person the following question: "Where am I going astray?" Then, you might suggest working out the remaining steps in front of your teacher, incorporating correction into your project. Trust me--if you show an instructor proof that you are doing the best job that you can do on your assignments, they will be more than happy to help you.
4. When reading difficult assignments, ones you cannot quite navigate on your own, go to the library, and comb through scholarly books, book articles, and journals to discover critical opinions on a given subject. Many schools have search engines so preliminary research can be done on the internet at home. You will save valuable time this way instead of thumbing through card catalogues at the library. See if you (or your parents) can subscribe to the Questia Online Library, too, as this particular site has full text academic books, book journals, and articles. Questia permits you to read its sources online, highlight relevant information, print out as much or as little resources as you like, and much more. Remember, too, that if you are looking for a rough conceptual estimate of a subject, Wikipedia, Bar-Notes, and Cliff Notes do quite well. You can even locate scholarly discussions on a topic of interest on YouTube. Don't forget another option--type in a topic in the Google search bar, and look at all the links. Click on them, especially the ones with ".edu" endings, since this is where professors from various colleges offer their expert advice on a subject. Occasionally, you will stumble across full text html and / or pdf files which are printable! This sometimes constitutes a welcome "glitch" in academia, as institutions often make non-members of their facility pay money for a password to select article from their databases. However, sometimes they forget to do that, and valuable information is available to all who browse the web, so be sure to take advantage of such opportunities. Teachers generally like an individual who puts forth an effort which exceeds expectations for a given façade of academic study.
In sum, discussion with your instructors about your issue, doing work ahead of time, meeting with your teachers often, and taking advantage of every academic resource possible, especially the web, will, as time progresses, prove beneficial to your situation. At first, these recommendations might seem to exacerbate your existing situation of having no time for personal fun, but following the flowchart presented herein will help you become structured, and, as a result of doing these things, you will be able to extract the most valuable information and skills from your studies, while, simultaneously, find that "you have more time on your hands" as a consequence of doing such tasks faster.
Take care, good luck in your scholastic pursuits, and I hope my recommendation improves your situation!
Best Wishes,
QuotidianPerfection
I have a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature--and have taken doctoral classes in this field too--so I fully understand that sometimes academic study can prove quite-consuming. Fortunately, I can offer some tips.
1. Meet with your teachers, and voice your concerns. However, leave any mention of "personal time" out of discussion, unless 1) the issue is raised, 2) you trust your instructor enough to speak of such issues, or 3) if a combination former and the latter somehow manifests itself during that given conversation. Otherwise, just make the entire meeting about ways of attaining the highest grade possible, while, simultaneously, finding the best possible way to use and develop the critical thinking tools that particular course has to offer. However, I would avoid telling guidance counselors in advance about your plan, unless, again, you feel that they have your best interests in mind. In sum, informing all teachers that you have no personal time due to schoolwork might be interpreted by some to mean that you possess little scholastic drive, while revealing your scheme to certain guidance counselors might cause them to question whether or not you belong in a particular course.
2. When you converse with your teachers, see if you can receive their syllabi and do their assignments in advance.
3. Be one of the students who continuously set up appointments with the instructor. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses, and, if possible, diagram or outline your problem-solving process on a piece of paper. In the case of an essay, compose notes that provide a step-by-step description of what you are trying to do and why. Also, explain the outline to your instructor as he or she is perusing through your paper. When you discover a fallacious step in your delineation, ask that person the following question: "Where am I going astray?" Then, you might suggest working out the remaining steps in front of your teacher, incorporating correction into your project. Trust me--if you show an instructor proof that you are doing the best job that you can do on your assignments, they will be more than happy to help you.
4. When reading difficult assignments, ones you cannot quite navigate on your own, go to the library, and comb through scholarly books, book articles, and journals to discover critical opinions on a given subject. Many schools have search engines so preliminary research can be done on the internet at home. You will save valuable time this way instead of thumbing through card catalogues at the library. See if you (or your parents) can subscribe to the Questia Online Library, too, as this particular site has full text academic books, book journals, and articles. Questia permits you to read its sources online, highlight relevant information, print out as much or as little resources as you like, and much more. Remember, too, that if you are looking for a rough conceptual estimate of a subject, Wikipedia, Bar-Notes, and Cliff Notes do quite well. You can even locate scholarly discussions on a topic of interest on YouTube. Don't forget another option--type in a topic in the Google search bar, and look at all the links. Click on them, especially the ones with ".edu" endings, since this is where professors from various colleges offer their expert advice on a subject. Occasionally, you will stumble across full text html and / or pdf files which are printable! This sometimes constitutes a welcome "glitch" in academia, as institutions often make non-members of their facility pay money for a password to select article from their databases. However, sometimes they forget to do that, and valuable information is available to all who browse the web, so be sure to take advantage of such opportunities. Teachers generally like an individual who puts forth an effort which exceeds expectations for a given façade of academic study.
In sum, discussion with your instructors about your issue, doing work ahead of time, meeting with your teachers often, and taking advantage of every academic resource possible, especially the web, will, as time progresses, prove beneficial to your situation. At first, these recommendations might seem to exacerbate your existing situation of having no time for personal fun, but following the flowchart presented herein will help you become structured, and, as a result of doing these things, you will be able to extract the most valuable information and skills from your studies, while, simultaneously, find that "you have more time on your hands" as a consequence of doing such tasks faster.
Take care, good luck in your scholastic pursuits, and I hope my recommendation improves your situation!
Best Wishes,
QuotidianPerfection
Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:18 am
QP, you are the boss.
Thu Nov 07, 2013 2:31 pm
Hi Jonipoon:
Thank you for your kind words!
Take care.
Best Wishes,
QuotidianPerfection
Thank you for your kind words!
Take care.
Best Wishes,
QuotidianPerfection
Sat Nov 23, 2013 7:55 pm
Hey QP,
Thanks for the advise. I do wish I had read this a little earlier, but I was able to sort out some time that I could spend elsewhere in the wee hours of the day.
It turns out two of my teachers have been giving enough homework that many of the other students were having the same troubles I was, so after some teacher to teacher discussion, homework loads per teacher were reduced from 2-3 hours to 1-1.5 hours.
Hope you have a good day/night.
Gold
Thanks for the advise. I do wish I had read this a little earlier, but I was able to sort out some time that I could spend elsewhere in the wee hours of the day.
It turns out two of my teachers have been giving enough homework that many of the other students were having the same troubles I was, so after some teacher to teacher discussion, homework loads per teacher were reduced from 2-3 hours to 1-1.5 hours.
Hope you have a good day/night.
Gold
Wed Dec 11, 2013 4:41 pm
Hi Gold Finger:
You're welcome--and thank you for your kind words!
I love your username, since it reminds me of the James Bonds movie with the same name!
I apologize in my delay in getting back to you, but I have been really busy. While I am glad to be of assistance in helping you solve your problems, you deserve all the credit in your attempts to handle the difficulty you must contend with (i.e., overburdening homework loads). I merely give suggestions: it is you who must ultimately decide whether my advice will help or hinder your cause. However, I am glad you found some of my tips regarding the issue stated herein worth heeding.
Take care--I wish you the best Holiday Season imaginable!
Best Wishes,
QuotidianPerfection
You're welcome--and thank you for your kind words!
I love your username, since it reminds me of the James Bonds movie with the same name!
I apologize in my delay in getting back to you, but I have been really busy. While I am glad to be of assistance in helping you solve your problems, you deserve all the credit in your attempts to handle the difficulty you must contend with (i.e., overburdening homework loads). I merely give suggestions: it is you who must ultimately decide whether my advice will help or hinder your cause. However, I am glad you found some of my tips regarding the issue stated herein worth heeding.
Take care--I wish you the best Holiday Season imaginable!
Best Wishes,
QuotidianPerfection
Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:24 pm
Lots of people have posted some great advice. When your workload inevitably ramps up again, one thing I would recommend is making sure you're spending time on what's important. I'm all about getting straight A's, and sometimes that actually means not being a perfectionist. I had times where one problem kept me working till three am.. When if I had done the math, that problem was worth only 1% of my final grade. You have to give an honest crack at everything, but once you see it being a time suck make sure you wouldn't be better off spending your time on something else. Instead of working on that one problem, I could have completed another assignment or gotten some much needed rest!
Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:45 pm
Hi MESS:
I am in agreement with the conclusion of your argument, namely that, although in ideal situations, a person should strengthen every academic weakness commensurately for the purpose of scholastic achievement, doing so proves realistically infeasible due to time constraints. In terms of proportions, for example, if an exam tests one's cognitive ability of six concepts on an equal scale, it is better for a person to display utter flawlessness in reasoning (i.e., 100%) in the sections where he or she is initially "average" in (i.e., 75%), and "average" ability (i.e., 75%) in the concept which the tested hitherto displayed a poor understanding of (i.e., 59% and under), than vice-versa, as a test score of 95 5/6, an A, is preferable to a mark of 79 1/6, or a C+. Your reasoning becomes loose, though, when you identify the strategy laid out above with "not being a perfectionist," which contradicts the original objective: attempting to put forth mistake-free work. The confusion effectuates from believing that implications which are a call, or a cause, for students to strive for imperfection on occasion are syllogistically synonymous with doing work which effectuates in results below the bar of perfection. However, the mirror image of this propositional statement leads to two inverse possibilities: one where nonchalant students actually achieve the highest attainable score possible, and another where conscientious students, bent on perfection, fail to achieve it. Overall, though, I think you make a valid point about not overburdening oneself with one abstractions when there are others to study--an analytical strategy which might inhibit a student from analyzing other aspects of his or her studies--but disagree that perfection should not always be a sought based on this observation. Perhaps people should seek to attain unblemished tests, but accept the fact that, since we are all humans, and every person errs, this is not always possible.
Take care,
QP
I am in agreement with the conclusion of your argument, namely that, although in ideal situations, a person should strengthen every academic weakness commensurately for the purpose of scholastic achievement, doing so proves realistically infeasible due to time constraints. In terms of proportions, for example, if an exam tests one's cognitive ability of six concepts on an equal scale, it is better for a person to display utter flawlessness in reasoning (i.e., 100%) in the sections where he or she is initially "average" in (i.e., 75%), and "average" ability (i.e., 75%) in the concept which the tested hitherto displayed a poor understanding of (i.e., 59% and under), than vice-versa, as a test score of 95 5/6, an A, is preferable to a mark of 79 1/6, or a C+. Your reasoning becomes loose, though, when you identify the strategy laid out above with "not being a perfectionist," which contradicts the original objective: attempting to put forth mistake-free work. The confusion effectuates from believing that implications which are a call, or a cause, for students to strive for imperfection on occasion are syllogistically synonymous with doing work which effectuates in results below the bar of perfection. However, the mirror image of this propositional statement leads to two inverse possibilities: one where nonchalant students actually achieve the highest attainable score possible, and another where conscientious students, bent on perfection, fail to achieve it. Overall, though, I think you make a valid point about not overburdening oneself with one abstractions when there are others to study--an analytical strategy which might inhibit a student from analyzing other aspects of his or her studies--but disagree that perfection should not always be a sought based on this observation. Perhaps people should seek to attain unblemished tests, but accept the fact that, since we are all humans, and every person errs, this is not always possible.
Take care,
QP
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