Final Post

It’s hard to believe that it is already the end of the semester.  I feel like I have grown tremendously as an individual especially over the past eight weeks.  This course has introduced me to numerous online resources that I can use to study more effectively such as mind maps and the timeline generator.  The course has also shown me a variety of ways to enhance group work.  I have used Google Docs several times this semester and believe that it is an excellent tool for collaboration.  Furthermore, this class has even helped me improve my written communication via the internet.  I have worked to improve my tone so that I do not come off as aggressive and my comments are more receptive.

I think the most useful component of this course for me personally has been the aspects that focus on self-discovery.  This class has allowed to me to explore myself and learn what works and what doesn’t for me.  I found all of the activities on time management, learning styles, and procrastination to be very useful.  They honestly revealed things to me that I didn’t even realize myself.  I especially found the learning styles exercise to be very relevant because I truly do believe that I am a global learner after reading all of the descriptions.  I have always had a hard time just picking up information in steps but once I am able to grasp the big idea I understand how everything flows together.  I even feel like I experienced that in this course.  At some points I did not see the purpose of the activities and thought they were redundant.  However, now looking back at the end of the course I am able to see how everything connected and built upon each other.

My most meaningful experience in this class was writing out my entire weekly schedule and categorizing the activities that I partook in.  This was the first time I had ever done anything like this and I ended up finding it to be very useful.  It showed me how much time I waste during the day and how much more efficient I can be if I make a schedule and have a game plan.  If there is one thing that I pulled from this course it is the importance of making a schedule and trying your best to stick with it.  I have found that when I am able to stick to a consistent schedule, rather than living day by day I am much more productive.  I also enjoy the consistency because it helps lower the stress in my life.  I do not have as many surprises and when I do I am able to deal with them more quickly.  I have personally started mapping out my schedule each for each week.  I do not go to the point of mapping out the times that I do them but each day I have a list of objectives that I need to accomplish.  If I do not reach all of my goals in that day I move it to the next day.  However, I never let an objective stay on my list for more than two days so that I don’t get behind in my work.

I have already started to apply what I learned in the class currently and will continue to use it in the future.  I have a whiteboard in my room that I write out my schedule on each week and update it daily throughout this week.  As simple as it sounds this white board has drastically improved my time management and procrastination.  I have noticed that I am improving my grades and feel that I now live a much more structured and sustainable lifestyle.  I have even been able to stick to a work out plan for the first time and lost 20 pounds this semester!