You can check out an overview of the two steps note-taking process here. This post is a deeper dive into what lecture notes are and why they are valuable. First, I call them “get it down notes” because that is the main goal of taking notes in class. The main goal of these notes is to “get down” the main points of the lecture. This allows us to add context to the material that we need to master for class,…
When I work with college students I notice that a lot of the stuff getting in the way is the small life stuff. These tasks have very little to do with direct school achievement, but they dramatically reduce their ability to be productive. Here is a video explaining the small skills that every college freshman should know before they leave home. Like 0
While most of us lean towards procrastination there is a subset of the population who are pre-crastinators. These individuals feel a deep desire to finish their work as quickly as possible. For more background information please see this video on the differences between pre-crastination and procrastination. Because pre-crastinators need to finish their work they are willing to start immediately but often rush through their work they need a different type of work routine. Watch the video below to see a cleaver way pre-crastinators can use…
We talk a lot about Procrastination, specifically how it impacts our abilities to get things done. There is another set of behaviors called Pre-crastination that is less common but often has similar effects. Watch the video to find out more about Pre-crastination and how to circumvent the blind spots it creates. Like 0
3 Most Effective Learning Tips for Students Practice Retrieval It is the most powerful way to study. We have to practice getting information out of our brains. It often feels clunky and slow, but it will increase how long and how much of the information you can learn. Space out Retrieval Forgetting is part of the learning process. Your brain needs time to forget a little between study sessions. The length of these gaps depends on the material and how…
Getting Things Done for Teens is the newest GTD book by David Allen, Mike Williams, and Mark Wallace. The book’s message is essential: teens need a strategy to address their complex world. The book is intended to help teens and tweens avoid many of the common pitfalls that happen when we enter adulthood without tangible organizational skills. While there are many positives parts of this book, it, unfortunately, falls into the trap of trying to adjust an adult level organization system…
Do you need a planner for college? My Class Tracker has introduced a College version of their student planner. The college version reflects the unique needs of college students. The College version of My Class Tracker can help students plan ahead, manage their time, increase their study skills, prevent procrastination, and help them achieve their goals. Like 0
I often hear my students repeat a pervasive myth about achieving in school. They believe that if they want to get more stuff done, they need to find more motivation. As a result, they often spend a lot of time and effort trying to find such a secret and elusive motivator. However, the secret that productive people know is that you can’t count on motivation, because it is unpredictable and fleeting. I teach my students that the key to getting…
Do you wonder what to do over the summer while still having fun? Students and parents often feel burnt out from the school year and as a result, do not take full advantage of the opportunities that summer offers. Working on a few core skills can help students reduce their stress during school. I suggest that students start with something that interests them, such as art, writing, science, math, reading, or history. After they have picked a topic or project that…
Do you ever feel like you have trouble keeping your family calendar current? Family calendars help make time visible for the whole family. They are also an excellent way to model organization. Family Calendars as the most useful when they are as accurate as possible. To maintain accuracy they should be updated on a regular basis. These meetings do not need to take more than 5-10 minutes and can be apart of other gatherings such as before or after dinner. The frequency…
A shared calendar is a keystone to family and student organization. As children grow their schedules often become more complicated at the same time they are trying to establish their independence. Family calendars help make time visible for the whole family highlighting how all activities fit together and help families identify conflicts or extraordinarily busy days. Like 0
What is the difference between studying and homework? We often use “homework” and “studying” interchangeably when they discuss school work. I define homework as the compulsory assignments that are given to students by a teacher. Homework is generally graded or checked in class. I define studying as the strategic work that students choose to do on their own to master material. Studying can often look and feel a lot like traditional homework assignments such as reading, creating flashcards, or taking…
Many students believe that they must push through school entirely on their own. While students need to do their own independent work they should build a team that can help them navigate the social and academic aspects of High School. Every student’s team will be different and may change over time as their needs shift and their independence grows. Because teams are so personalized, it is vital to help students identify who is already apart of their team, and who they…
Sometimes it is hard to crack how to get better grades in college. Because there are so few graded assignments in college it can be hard to adjust our study strategies. To fill these gaps it is important to be more strategic. One of the great secrets of successful college students is that they take advantage of office hours. Office hours are often presented to students as an opportunity to ask specific questions and get help on assignments. However, what…
Do you ever feel distracted by the internet? Do you ever have every intention of doing your homework but the internet keeps you from getting things done? The question is how do we get our work done and still have time for fun? There are different parts of the internet that are distracting. That is why there are different types of distraction blockers. Assessing what is distracting you can help you pick the right solution. Browser extensions System-wide solutions Router-based solutions…