#textbook reading

october 9, 2019

i really feel like i’m getting back to the beginning where i would actually spend time on my readings and write my notes. it feels really goood, i’m just worried i won’t be able to retain as much info as possible for my final next week :(( BUT hey! i’m gonna fight till the end so even if i fail, at least i know that i tried!

Hello everyone! 晚上好！Doing some post workout textbook reading. Nothing like running and some yoga to get the brain in a working mindset! Hope everyone’s week is starting out great! If not, don’t let one bad day ruin the rest. Just take it one day at a time!

April 30th 2019

Set my alarm for 9:00 am, woke up at 9:30 am. Progress is progress, I guess? I am so used to waking up late because I typically work 4:00 pm til midnight and I don’t need to wake up early, but with school, I really need to get in the habit of making use of my mornings.

I am currently having a coffee, watching youtube, and checking my planner for what I have to do today. Here’s the plan so far: 10:45 am - start working on chapter 2 of Forensic Psych (I’d like to finish reading and doing notes for ch. 2).

1:00 pm - stop studying to grab something to eat and watch Dr. Phil (yes. I am one of those people).

2:30 pm - shower, get ready for work.

3:45 pm - leave for work.

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Midnight - Get home and crash into bed, set alarm for 9:00 am.

Tomorrow is my official start date for school, which basically only means the assignment drop boxes will be open. I started last week because most of my coursework just consists of reading the text books and completing quizes. the goal is to have the first two chapters of all three courses read and notes made by tomorrow, and I only have forensic psych to catch up on. This semester is kind of my test to see if I can figure out a good routine, school/work balance, and staying on top of things. If I can, next semester I will be taking 4 courses instead of 3 because at this rate, I’m going to be in school forever.

If you mean doing assigned readings before class, I have great news for you. You don’t actually have to read the entire thing! 

I know everyone (myself included) preaches doing all of your readings, for all of your classes, all of the time. But that doesn’t necessarily mean meticulously combing through every word and taking notes on each and every sentence. 

The skill you need to develop is skimming, and identifying the most important information without actually reading the entire text word for word. For this, I recommend: 

Reading the chapter summary or learning objectives, so you know what is the most important information. 

Reading the first sentence or two for each paragraph and deciding based on that if it is important. 

Skipping over long winded examples or anecdotes. If you are confused by the main concept after the lecture, going back and looking at these examples can be helpful, but they are not primary information.

Skip over sidebars and textboxes, because they are most likely just longer examples or case studies. 

Pay close attention to table and diagrams, because they are most likely a super concise version of what the text says. 

If you don’t understand something in the reading, make a note and move on. The lecture is either a) going to cover the content or b) going to give you an opportunity to ask the prof about it. Don’t bother self teaching from the readings until you have gone to the corresponding lecture. 

september 10, 2019

today was a chilly day so i mainly did some of my textbook readings and reading just for fun :)