The way I study:

First I read all the books, articles, and court cases we’re asked to read. This generally takes a while, since we get a bunch of books for each corse. Usually it will be about 100-150 pages a day if I spread it out like that. I usually read a lot some days and next to nothing other days. I try to get weekends off.

Then I’ll get hold of old exams so I can try and answer the questions and see how good I am. I tend to get better for each exam I try

Parallely with these things I tend to try and explain the things I’m supposed to learn about. I’ll tell (ex)boyfriend, Roomie, Batman, Tony and pretty much anyone who’s willing to listen pretty much all about it. If I can explain the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court so someone who is not studying law, then I can be pretty sure that I know how it works.

Yeah, I’ve calmed down a bit since my last post^^

Examination days seem to be nightmares for students because it is stressful and full of anxiety. Sometimes, students find it hard to review all given scope and encounter mental blocking during the actual exam. Others were confused and failed to organize well their review schedule. READ MORE AT http://www.helium.com/items/1354962

Hello to you all! Early morning post today! It’s 0919h right now. I have a couple of things to do today that’s why I’m up and about all ready, and have been since 0800h. I’m going to walk the Boo then leave him at my mothers for a bit of dog sitting. Then I’m off to meet my director friend I talked about a couple of posts back. It’s very exciting for me and in a few days time I might have some exciting news to share with you all. After I’ve met my friend I’m going to a lecture on Aristotle (and a well needed one i might add). I’ve been having some trouble understanding him, the philosopher not the lecturer; I know what he is saying and what his philosophy is about, at least as far in Nicomachean Ethics as I have reached. I just can’t seem to extract the thoughts from his words (the me understanding part lies in reading the commentary or reading my lecture notes, which is kind of second hand information… but then again what in Aristotle writings isn’t?). I tried a new thing yesterday though; I read a couple of chapters out loud, to myself, and I think that had an effect, strangely enough. I will try that technique a couple of times more. We’ll see if anything sticks.

All-righty then….

If I could study with him, i would not need to think about procrastination and study technique... everything would just come naturally!

I always think it is a pain in the ass to study. But I think that is even more bothersome to have to do all the studying last minute, as it usually goes with me. So I decided to tackle this problem seriously this time. I figure that if I make a real effort and actually succeed, I will have more time to do other things and I will not have to spend my time feeling bad about all the things I should be doing.

I think gaining a better study technique can be compared to a person who stops smoking. It all starts with a decision! So I guess when the brain starts to protest violently against your decision, you should remember not to give in to The Dark Side. This is procrastination rehab! I’ve thought of two things that are supposed to help us resist The Dark Side:

1. Find out how many hours you should be working every week on average in order to do well on the course. In my example the lecturer said 30h a week is what they expect in my course.
   1. Now the mindset should like going to a 9-5 job. You have to do those hours. That is just it! There is no way you can weasel yourself into doing less.
   2. Now find out how many hours of lectures you have. In my case, depending on the week it is usually 13-17 h per week. I count being at the lectures as part of the 30h that I have to do.
   3. Then find out how many more hours you need to study in order to reach your weekly target. In my case it’s 13-17h.
   4. Then divide these hours with the amount of modules you have. I have 4 modules. So it’s e.g. 17/4= 3.25h per subject per week
   5. I always like to round up to the next even hour, so it the example above that means I have to study every subject for 4h every week.

   See, that doesn’t feel like a lot! You have 7 days a week so it’s possible to divide these hours up into manageable portions and for example avoid studying on days with many lectures. You mind find that you have done with a module in less time than what you originally allocated for it, so it can use the surplus time for a module that requires more time. And once your week is done you can feel like you’ve accomplished something!

2. The following is advice I got from a friend, who took a study technique course. I thought the idea made sense and was worth a try. It works particularly well on people who like making lists and checking them off.

   Buy a notebook, you will use it only to write in all the work you have to do. In the notebook you will write the following things:

   1. What time you are going to start to study. E.g. 15.00 Start Studying Land Law.
   2. What exactly you are going to study. E.g. Read pages 59-73 of Textbook.
   3. When you plan to finish that activity. E.g. 15.00-16.30- Land Law: pgs 59-73 of Textbook.
   4. Include breaks. My friend (let’s call her Pretty Butterfly), said that general advice was to study 45 mins and then take a 15 min break. E.g. 15.00-15.45: Land Law: pgs 59-67. 15.45-16.00 Break. 16.00-16.30: Land Law pgs. 68-73
   5. Be realistic. That means that you should not write in more work that you are able to do within a given time frame. Hence don’t write you are doing to read 30 pages between 15.00 and 15.45 if you know that on average you only read 10-13 an hour. You’ll just stress yourself out and end up not doing what you were supposed to do because it was too hard!
   6. At the end of each day evaluate yourself. Think about if what you actually managed and what is written on the notebook match. If it doesn’t match, suggest what would be improved so that your actual studying and the goals on paper match. This shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes (so it’s not a big sacrifice of your social life)

I’ve decided that starting this week I’m going to start following the above mentioned ideas. Today was the end of Day 1, and that was a disaster. I didn’t get all that I wanted done, and I managed to procrastinate and sleep in way too much. Here is the reason: I put down too many things. I was over optimistic about what I could realistically achieve in one day. So my improvement for tomorrow is to do fewer things, and to focus on only the most important things that need to be done (since I have a few deadlines for Wednesday). But I’m hoping that overtime I’ll my work will even out, so I’m not giving up yet.

4h of studying and this is how far I’ve come:

And then that last rack of words (in the picture) is just for me to know how to continue and will be erased. It’s not that I don’t know what to write. I just have to make sure that I have gotten everything right so I’ve been doing a lot of reading and understanding. But no, I haven’t been studying the whole 4h and that’s the problem. I normally have attention issues but today I really can’t seem to just focus. Like now for instance; I’m writing this, taking pictures of my computer and stuff. Humans really should come with a set of switches; FUN ON/OFF WORK ON/OFF and so forth. 

I’m getting things done, It’s just going at a slow pace. I find reassurance in that whole left part of the brain/right part of the brain method which I learnt in upper secondary school. Do something theoretical for a while than do something practical. That way one supposedly has a easier time to take in stuff. In school we were taught to read for half an hour than play guitar (or which ever instrument you had and played) for about a quarter of an hour and then alternate between the two until you were done. I think it works.

And for all of you reading between the lines, and really as an eye-opener for myself, I apparently regard blogging parallel to playing guitar…

Structured Procrastination

I’ve always felt bad for being a procrastinator, but I’ve slowly learned not to be too tough on myself. David Allen, the GTD founder, once said in a interview, “procrastination is not about not doing, is about not doing and feeling crappy about it”. It isn’t that procrastinators don’t do anything, (if that’s happening, you’re probably clinically depressed) because we do many things. The problem is that we suck at deadlines and get distracted by the seemingly unimportant. This article helps you structure it in a very creative way.

Want to Remember Everything You’ll Ever Learned? Surrender to this Algorithm

This is an article that Wired ran in their “Get Smarter” May issue. It’s about Piotr Wozniak and his learning software called Supermemo which is based on the spaced repetition learning tecnique. Probably one the most powerful “mind hacks”, but something that could turn into an obsession.

Dangerous Ideas: Getting Started is Overrated

If you have read some of my posts, you’ll notice that I like to challenge conventional wisdoms. This is an article that challenges the advice of “just get started” and suggest that the initial alternative of studying your options and thinking before submitting to action might be a better idea.

Learning a foreign language is a big endeavor and it comes with many ups and downs. Strong motivation to succeed with your study is key to accomplish good proficiency. It is unlikely that one will learn efficiently if the motivation to do so is dwindling. The good thing about motivation is that it all happens inside your head. Your way of thinking determines (almost) everything. And you can change your mindset to your advantage – anytime!

This is the first post of a series of articles on how to boost ones motivation to learn a language — a challenge, that I have encountered myself for many times. Todays advice is…

Imagine outcome

This is a no-brainer for everyone familiar with project management, general motivation techniques, etc. but many people nevertheless spend a lot of their time with things that do not lead to any desirable outcome. They never really ask the question “Why am I doing this?” and therefore also don’t know the answer. That’s a pitty because these answers are an endless resource of motivation.

Why is Kevin learning Japanese? Because he loves Manga, the Japanese comics, and he would love to read them in their original version with Japanese writing. The outcome is: Kevin reads Japanese Manga. He bought a Japanese Manga and put it on his desk where he sees it every day to remind him of his goal.

Why is Mary learning French? Because she plans a journey to France together with her husband later this year. The outcome is: Mary and her husband are having a great time in France. Mary’s knowledge of the French language helps getting in contact with the local residents which adds a lot to this holiday. Mary put some stickers of French sights on the door of the fridge that remind her every day what a great time she will have with her husband in France.

Why is Peter learning business English? Because he believes that his negotiation skills in international projects will benefit from a richer vocabulary. This will make it easier for him to climb the corporate ladder. The outcome is: Peter has better chances in his job.

Why are you learning the language you learn?

Imagine you have mastered the language you learn. What would you do? How would this affect your life?

Imagine yourself…

• …sitting on the schoolyard and reading a Japanese Manga.
• …ordering a meal in France.
• …negotiating with an international partner.
• … (your story here)

Find a positve answer, imagine yourself in a situation that feels good and rewarding and put reminders to this outcome wherever you can.

What would you be able to do if you master the language you learn? Just imagine… NOW!