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self management

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self management
an
09/30/02 at 11:30:22
Assalammu'alaikum...

Helppp... I'm really bad at managing myself in terms of studying.. juggling with different projects... and other univ activities... I've bought all sorts of books on time management... including the one by stephen covey....but I can't seem to find the one that is just simple... and suits my needs.....


i want to be organised  :( ... and be more self disciplined...
anybody got any ideas??

Jazakallah...

strezzzed sista.... :'(

Re: self management
sabri
09/30/02 at 23:25:39
[slm]
  Have you tried using a diary or organizer? Maybe writing down how you plan to spend your time each day on an hourly basis and trying to stick with the plan as much as possible?
[wlm]
Re: self management
amatullah
10/01/02 at 19:14:48
[slm]
This is a very important issue. we suffer from it as an ummah as a whole.
It is a serious thing when someone feels their life is out of control.

I think an agenda and to do lists are very important.

In terms of house cleaning this lady's site has a really really good masha'Allah system that doesn't take too long each day but at the end it works all together. I tried it.
http://www.flylady.net/

In terms of studying. I think it is important to make sure you spend about two hours for every one hour that you spent in class. Use time efficiently, like if you are on the bus, review or prep. If you pray subuh, try staying up afterwards and start your day after the rememberance and the dua to ask Allah's help for the day with the Homework. This will make sure you review what you don't understand. Don't wait for the day it's due to start the night before.

Dua is actually very important. Like when Fatima the daughter of the beloved  [saw] and her husband Ali needed domestic help and asked him  [saw] he rejected it. At night later he come in and welcoming him, they both rose to their feet, but he told them:

"Stay where you are," and sat down beside them. "Shall I not tell you of something better than that which you asked of me?" he asked and when they said yes he said: "Words which Jibril taught me, that you should say "Subhaan Allah- Glory be to God" ten times after every Prayer, and ten times "AI hamdu lillah - Praise be to God," and ten times "Allahu Akbar - God is Great." And that when you go to bed you should say them thirty-three times each."

Ali used to say in later years: "I have never once failed to say them since the Messenger of God taught them to us."

-ok some tips from university site which i changed abit and added to as well: do not to be afraid of taking risks academically. An intelligent, original outlook on course material will, in the long run, be more valuable to you than accepting the analysis of your professor without question.

...Not to worry, university is not that difficult once you learn how to play the game. Soemtimes going to see the prof regularly in office hours makes for their decision to give you a better grade on essays,etc for showing interst and working hard.
Also don't be afraid to e-mail your professors for help or if you miss a class.
And once a year go see the department advisor make sure you are taking the right courses and what you need next.

...To go to class as much as possible and take tons of notes

...That you can discuss your essays with your Prof or TA long before they are due to see if you are on the right track. This can be done in a five minute conversation on the way out of class. Get feedback on work, it will help your direction

...To try your darndest to keep up with the readings
...To make notes on the readings so you don't have to go back and read them again before the exam. some people highlight. I find for anything important i use a pencil and i have different marks and symbols that i knwo what they mean. ex. a straight darker line is a defintion. a wavy one is concept that is improtant. double line is a date or person. a circle around numbers they belong together and are improtant,etc.

...Some sleep is essential if you want to say anything intelligent in an exam!


What helps the most with studies is...

...Knowing exactly what my goals are for each course and for each assignment. If I know what I am trying to dk, whether it's getting an A on an exam or getting a term paper finished on time, then I can manage my time accordingly. You should also be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses; make use of your strengths and try to improve upon your weak areas.

....find a happy comfy place on campus that is yours. a corner of a library or whatever that you go and study at all the time and it will eventually as soon you go, you get in study mode by conditioning.

...Talking to friends and classmates about the work if you are not confident about it. in each class exchange numbers with one girl after you guys decide to be study-buddy.

...Learning to use the library - Librarians and profs are very helpful if you take the time to ask them questions

...To perceive them as a privilege. Tuition fees aside, to be "chosen" for university goes along with a responsibility - to always give one's best. If you buy a car for a few thousand, if it is up to you whether it is total basic or all the luxuries and priviliges, you will take all you can get. so think of your money for tuition like that. get the most out of it, find your own interest pursue them curb your papers to suit them, so that you love what you do. Most profs are open to change topics of h.w.

...Trying to anticipate questions you think might be on an exam. I find that by looking carefully at my notes I can often come up with the questions in advance. ask your study-buddy what they think might be on as well.

...An interest in the course material. I find it useful to determine the readings for a course before I sign up for it, that way I can sign up for courses which interest me the most.

...Writing notes while studying. I am always writing something as I study. I also whisper the information to myself so that I can hear it.

...I have to write down the information that I have to memorize. Once I've written down something once, I usually remember it better. Just reading something doesn't seem to cement an idea for me. I think that while I write something down I really work through what it means in my mind.

...Knowing my own study style and how to work with it. I am a big procrastinator, and I have a very short attention span. So instead of trying in vain to be more consistent, I schedule short sessions of work and change subjects frequently to avoid boredom. I recommend taking a look at how you study and learn, and trying to come up with creative ways to keep yourself interested.


...Don't take on more than you can handle in terms of commitments to people and outside projects,etc.

...did i mention...go to class always!

...Having enough outside interests so that studying isn't the only thing in my life. Doing something else can forces you to manage your time well. make it a reward like say to yourself i will only rent a movie if i finish the hwole chapter.

...Concentrating on one task at a time ...Setting up little study schedules from time to time



When I get stressed out, I...

...Plan out what I need to get done, breaking assignments etc. into small components, so that I can focus on one thing at a time, and so I can see the progress I am making. If things get too bad, just walk away for a while instead of spending time worrying. Do something else constructive or relaxing until you fell that you can deal with the stress. I find that taking a break helps, but don't let this become procrastination. Come back to the problem feeling fresh, then get it done.

...Exercise! .
...Go for a walk with a friend. Even 15 minutes makes me feel better.

...Being stressed out is but a fashion, a figment of the imagination. There's pressure, no stress. Identify the problems and solve them one at a time. Don't allow them to accumulate - the mere term stressing out is a disease.

...Take time off from what I am doing. When I am really stressed, I can't work very well or remember anything anyway. Sometimes the day before a big exam it's better to spend my day doing something that has nothing to do with the subject I'm studying. Doing something that lets my mind relax and forget all about the pressure I'm under helps me to remain calm and realize that I do know a lot of what I'm studying, instead of panicking and thinking I've forgotten everything.

...Go for a walk, bake cookies, do anything other than stew about my schoolwork. If there is one thing I learned in first year, it's that there's far more to university life than studying.

...Go for a workout, have a really long shower, eat something, watch a no-brainer TV show, take a nap, call a friend, etc. I find that if I walk away for a while, I am often more focussed than before. Also, I have learned to accept that I have "off days" where as hard as I try, I can't accomplish anything. If this happens, I find it is better to go to bed and try again the next day, rather than losing sleep struggling.

When I don't understand something, I...

...Don't just forget about it. Try to find the answer or solution yourself (you tend to remember it best this way), but if you can't, don't waste your time struggling. Go straight to your Prof or TA for an explanation. Your instructor should be able to explain exactly what you need to know, and will appreciate your efforts to figure out what you don't understand.

...Talk to your professors! I can't emphasize enough what a huge difference it made to me once I figured out that they were happy to help. Go to office hours, speak to them after class, but don't be afraid of them.

...Always read ahead in the materials. That way, when a topic comes up in class, you've already encountered it at least once before. (Don't expect to understand everything at first reading, repetition in class will do the trick! If not, there is always the teacher to ask!)

...Approach the subject matter form different points of view. Further, I try to discuss the subject matter aloud as if I was teaching someone else.

...Ask questions in class. I was so scared to ask questions in first year because I thought I would sound stupid and people would laugh, but I found out that when you have a question, chances are a lot of other people in the class have the same question. People may even thank you for asking. If you are really uncomfortable with doing that, then visit the Prof or TA after class or in their office hours.

....Ask about it right away. And I keep asking and asking until I know it is clear in my mind. Sometimes I probably drive the professors insane, but most don't mind that you are asking the same question over and over again because they realize that you are honestly just trying to understand. Once I spent (cumulatively) about 2 hours arguing with a prof about one word that affected a concept in my essay, before I finally understood what he was trying to tell me. But I think he actually gave me a higher mark on my slightly confused essay because he knew from talking to me that I had finally grasped the idea, even though I had misinterpreted it in my essay.

hope this helped you. May Allah give you tawfeeq.
Re: self management
an
10/07/02 at 13:41:54
[slm],

Thank you for both of your replies.

bro Sabri, yes I do plan my days but I like to be flexible. I guess sometimes I plan to do too much than I can handle... hmm I think being focused is another problem of mine.

sis Amatullah, thank you so much for your advice! I went to the flylady's site and have signed up for her list. I really like her advices but I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with all the e-mail reminders that she sent ...  :o

Yes, it's quite frightening to feel out of control. I think it's because I have so many deadlines to face but Insya Allah I'm going to make a plan to tackle it one-by-one. I'm going to ask for help too.

JazakiAllah for the notes u posted. I've printed it out for reference.  :)

Wassalam.
10/07/02 at 13:45:14
an
Re: self management
Anonymous
10/15/02 at 03:38:11
Assalamu Alaikum,

Barnes and Noble University offers a variety of FREE online courses. One of the free
course is on "Getting Things Done" . Try it and see if that helps...

Its a 4 wk course. You can set your own pace. This course started today, Oct 7th but the
next one is starting Nov. 4th. Anyone who is interested can register...

http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com

Good luck!



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