Mariska Andringa

Prep 1300

Nathan Wilson

Learning Journal 1

During week three we looked at managing time and possible pitfalls we may experience,

and I found myself relating to many of the situations. I became aware of how I can be distracted,

the amount of times I have procrastinated, and the reasons why I procrastinate. Almost every day

I think to myself I don’t have enough time for everything I want or need to do, but I am realizing

that there is plenty of time within a day, and it is about managing myself, not about managing the

time. I am finding it tough to manage time between school, work and my personal well-being,

and have been reflecting on how I can balance these parts of my life.

Throughout my early adulthood I have always had two or more jobs and have put a lot of

time into my work. I have always had goals and thoughts of going back to school, but I tend to

self-sabotage, and the fear of failure takes over. I previously took Pre-Health Science at George

Brown College ten years ago and decided school was not for me at that time. I was young and

thrill seeking and left school to pursue an Au pair job in the Netherlands, then continued a life of

work and travel for many years. When I reflect back at that time in my life, I sometimes wish I

had finished the year, but I also know I learned a lot from these experiences. I feel now I am

more focused and ready to pursue my goals. I still work two jobs, and with one of my jobs being

a leadership position I am finding myself tiring quickly and being anxious about having enough

time for school and studying. To prioritize school, I may have to step down from my leadership
position or resign from my other job. Right now, the key is communicating with my managers

about what I need and asking for help and managing my time well outside of work.

Since being back in school I have been happy with my grades and am finding more

success than I had expected. I do need to make some time for myself, to exercise and eat

healthier. Generally, I am very active and mindful. I take pride in living a healthy lifestyle, but

since being so busy with work and school I find myself not eating healthy and not exercising. I

stay up late working on assignments then my mind is stimulated and unable to wind down,

resulting in not getting enough sleep. All of this can be altered with managing my time better and

prioritizing what needs to be done within a week.

I am going to start setting aside an hour from each day for myself to ither exercise,

meditate, take my dog for a walk or do a mindfulness activity. I will commit to leaving my phone

in another room while working on school to avoid having that distraction and will continue to

assess my work schedule and make a decision that is going to benefit my studies. With goals in

place, and time awareness I believe I can find the balance to avoid pitfalls.

Learning Journal 2

In week six we covered the benefits of taking tests and quizzes. We learned how it helps

bring awareness to where there are any gaps in our learning, and that a test can show us where

we need to improve and put our focus. When I know I have a test coming up I tend to become

anxious and the fear of failure sets it. In the past I have struggled with tests and find myself
freezing up when it comes time to take a test, and I also second guess my answers. With

midterms just around the corner I am going to alter my mindset on evaluations and apply study

tools to find success in writing tests.

In the past I have tended to procrastinate on studying and left it to the last minute. I

would study everything intensively which would cause stress and poor sleep. Then, come time

for test day my mind was foggy, and I was unable to recall the information. I do know where I

find success in studying is by teaching the information. If I recite a concept out loud and try to

explain it vocally, I find it builds my confidence and confirms that I can recall the concept not

just recognize it.

With mid-terms around the corner I am glad to have had this week to reflect on study

habits and apply what I learned to my studying so I can go into tests or exams feeling confident

and rested. I find I am most productive in the evening, just after dinner. I will use the time to

between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM to study my subjects. I will avoid putting tougher subjects to the

side and will be sure to prioritize them. I will work in my office, away from distractions and will

have a set plan on what needs to be looked over. I will study in half hour intervals and during my

breaks I will use the time to catch up on housework, exercising, or taking my dog out for a walk.

Now that I have learned ways to improve my study habits and know the benefits of taking

tests and quizzes, I will apply my learnings and hold myself accountable to these actions. I know

with being an active learner and managing my time well by using theses study tools, I will be

successful when it comes time to study and write quizzes and tests.