It’s been a little over two weeks since my last exam. I have put off studying with the force that I had previously. The build up to Construction Documents and Services was so much that I’ve just been cooling it. I thought I’d post some study techniques that I have used and hope to use next week to pick up my momentum. Maybe you will find them useful as well.
All quoted material is from “Managing Your Mind, The Mental Fitness Guide, 2nd Edition”, by Butler and Hope, 2007, Oxford University Press, pages 450-451.
“Four Ways of Helping Yourself to Get Down to Work”
- “Create a good work environment.
- List the tasks beforehand.
- Keep the benefits of study clearly in mind.
- Leave your work environment inviting for the next time.”
What this means to me:
- Go to the library.
- Generally my task is just to have read 20 pages daily and on the weekends I do questions and vignettes. (A strategy I may return to.) I’m modifying that this time. My new tasks will be 20 pages (or a section) each day; 15 questions a day and a vignette every three or four days. (even if it’s the same vignette.)
- I can say I’m an architect, without thinking “Well actually, I don’t have my license yet.” (Some people don’t think like that. I do.)
-
Leave the library.
“The Law of Mass Effect”
“This states that the amount of work you do (the amount you learn or the amount you write, for instance) is strongly correlated with the amount of time you spend doing it. … [This means] … Any worthwhile study will therefore take some time.” Do your best to make studying “easy to start, and fun to do” and commit to investing time.
What this means to me:
I had better get my ass in gear, because my exam is coming up and I don’t have that much time to invest. (Yeah, yeah I could always reschedule. I don’t want to. I’ll see.)
“Making It Easy to Start”
“Most people find it difficult to get down to work. You might promise yourself that you will sit down and write for an hour at eight o’clock in the evening. At eight o’clock you think it would be nice to have a cup of tea. At quarter past eight you make a quick phone call. At half past eight there is a program on the radio or TV. At nine o’clock you listen to the news. At 20 past nine a friend phones. At half past nine…
The problem with not getting down to work is twofold: first, it results in too little work being done; and second, it results in an unsatisfactory use of the time … [not work, not recreation] …worrying about work, not quite relaxing but not quite working either.
… Sometimes we need a kick-start to get going; but once in the swing of it, it is usually much easier to keep going and can be a real pleasure too.”
What this means to me:
I had better keep my momentum by studying in daily brief 1 hour periods. Starting up is hard and I’ve accomplished that. I’ve got to maintain a positive outlook about my goals and keep my face in the books. Keeping motivated is a new kind of challenge. I want the pleasure of having this behind me so I can continue to learn about architecture. The irony can not be stressed more.
PPI
Sketchbook Project