This week I have some ideas on how to stay motivated, be productive and improve listening skills. This will help finish the module with a smile and a sense of success.
It is hardly a secret that the key to accomplishing anything is to stay motivated. Every one of us have had tasks, jobs, classes that we did not like. But we found ways to MOTIVATE OURSELVES to complete them. Why?- Because we see how they serve the bigger vision.
One of the hardest things to do is to keep your motivation high enough so that nothing gets in your way of completing your goal. Setting a vision that is big enough, that you feel strongly about is the first step to maintaining long term motivation. Motivation is the fuel of achievement; its essence determines your levels of success. Anything is possible with a strong vision to move you forward at all times.
Productivity: the dictionary defines it as the act or process of producing. There are lots of books that are full of great tips on how to stay productive. However most of us can’t remember the 50 tips on how to be more productive when we are in the middle of studying, doing a project or handling a job and family. But productivity is a tangible element that you have control over and can see the end results of your efforts. A very good start to increasing your productivity is to get a PLANNER! This gives you a set place to structure and prioritize your tasks, reports, work, family etc. If you want to simplify how to be productive you need to begin with four steps;
1. Decide what you want to do
2. What steps will be needed to achieve this goal
3. Learn the necessary steps
4. Apply all of the above in an action based outcome.
Breaking large tasks into smaller mini-tasks helps to make them feel less over whelming and much more doable. Productivity lies within you, know yourself first, love what you are doing and don’t panic. Things don’t usually happen overnight.
Listening: According to an article in the University of Minnesota Duluth handbook, the average student spends about 14 hours per week listening (or perhaps we should say “hearing”, there is a difference) to lectures. Try some of their strategies to see how to improve your “listening” skills.
1. Maintain eye contact with the instructor. Of course you will need to look at your notebook write your notes, but eye contact keeps you focused on the job at hand and keeps you involved in the lecture.
2. Focus on content, not delivery. Have you ever counted the number of times a teacher clears his/her throat in fifteen minutes? If so you weren’t focusing on content.
3. Avoid emotional involvement. When you are too emotionally involved in listening, you tend to hear what you want to hear—not what is actually being said. Try to remain objective and open minded.
4. Avoid distractions. Don’t let your mind wander or be distracted by the person next to you or near you. Be prepared to handle classroom environment, if you chill easy bring a sweater.
5. Treat listening as a challenging mental task. Listening to an academic lecture is not a passive act—at least it shouldn’t be. You need to concentrate on what is said so that you can process the information into your notes.
6. Stay active by asking mental questions. Active listening keeps you on your toes. Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you listen- What key point is the teacher making? How does this fit with what I know from previous lectures? How is this lecture organized?
7. Use the gap between rates of speech and your rate if thought. You can think faster that the lecturer can talk. That’s one reason your mind may tend to wander. All of the above suggestions will help you to keep your mind occupied and focused on what is being said. You can actually begin to anticipate what the professor is going to say as a way to keep your mind from straying. Your mind does have the capacity to listen, think, write and ponder at the same time, but it takes practice.
So as you can see we really do not read with our eyes nor listen with our ears—it is our brain that must be engaged to make eyes and ears work their best. So put your brain in gear and follow the tips and make the next two weeks your best.
“Success does not come the way you think it does, it comes from the way you think.”
Sharon Eifert
Associate Director of Student Services
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