productivity

It’s the Real World-We Need to Cooperate and Collaborate

All the time I have been in academia I have heard people talk about “real life out there.” College is not the “real world.” Yet in college, at university, there are turf wars, political maneuvering, rotten apples and the good ones, the used and the users (and most of the rest of us who do some of both). There are the “skill” positions on the team and the “grunts.” There are personal disappointments and proud achievements. There are relationships that deepen and engage us and those that go south. What is not real about life here?

Cooperation and Collaboration

So it is that we are here together, as in real life, social animals required to cooperate and collaborate in this project we have going here at UAMS. Ours is a group project like the multiple award winners in the scientific categories of the Nobel Prizes. Since 2010 these prizes have usually included at least 2 and often 3 concurrent winners. Ours is not like the solitary awards to the literary set, one person each year in that same span since 2010. So, in this corner of the world, we are required to work together. It’s helpful to remember that group work might be done in one of at least two ways. We might cooperate. We might collaborate.

To cooperate is to work independently toward a common goal. A medical care team with its therapists (occupational, respiratory, physical, and so on), its nurses, doctors, chaplains, patient care attendants, case managers, pharmacists, patients and caregivers and more is a good example of cooperation. In the ideal situation each exhibits her or his special expertise toward the wellbeing of the patient.

To collaborate is deeper. To collaborate is to work together toward a common goal. Well, now that I think about it, a medical team is often working together and not just independently. There are rounds and shared planning and consultation. These are marks of more than simultaneous cooperation.

I encourage you to work on both of these skill sets while a student here at UAMS. This is a kind of simulation lab much like the real world. Here, you can learn by doing, reflecting on your doing, and improve the next go-around. Work on cooperating—help each other out with your own independent contributions toward the wellbeing of each and of all. Work on collaboration—practice working together, consulting, shared planning toward the wellbeing of each and of all.

Welcome Back to Work

Someone observed, “There should be a sympathy card for having to go back to work after vacation.” I don’t know who first came up with the thought; now there are several versions circulating on the internet, some spruced up with images. These creations sound like just the kind of diversion someone coming back to work after a break would pursue. Anything to delay full immersion into the cascading stream of activities that is our normal. Well, welcome back. Stop in and say “Hello,” if you have a chance. I too am trying to reorient and forge ahead into the new semester.

With that in mind, it’s a good time to remind us of some helpful basics as we get back to work: Think Back, Look Ahead, Live in the Present.

Think Back

Build on last semester. Recognize the ways in which your knowledge, your skills, and your training will serve you well in classes this semester. Perhaps engage in a short mental review over the big ideas and even some key ideas from your training so far. It’s helpful to connect your learning across various subjects, and it can be encouraging to recognize how far you have already come. You made it—good for you, and go on to greater levels yet.

Look Ahead

Think about the semester to come. I recommend some calendar planning early on in each semester. Use a monthly calendar to lay out key dates for exams, papers, major projects, and so forth. You might also include your own key dates: a birthday or anniversary or Valentine’s Day you must not forget, doctor’s appointments, and so on. Use a weekly calendar to lay out your typical weekly schedule: when are your classes, what hours do you set aside for study, when do you take care of household chores, exercise, etc. Planning ahead will be a key component to success, academic and otherwise.

Live in the Present

Live the life that is directly in front of you with full attention to the moment. The practice of mindful living enhances your wellbeing and helps your success. Ease back into your work. Don’t try to complete the upcoming semester in the first day or the first week. Yet, do get going—complete something significant today.

A Final Reminder—Recreate Periodically

Remember also to plan some recreative activities during the semester. Arkansas Parks and Tourism maintains a calendar of activities around the state. The website address is https://www.arkansas.com/events/. Many of the events are free. You might visit art exhibits and juried competitions in Mena and El Dorado. You might enjoy the monthly performance of music at the Garland County Library in Hot Springs. During January there is an “Artists’ Garage Sale” in Mena where you can buy art supplies and artwork. On February 8 Hope, Arkansas hosts “An Evening with Frederick Douglas” as part of Black History Month. Eureka Springs has a pirate-themed Mayor’s Ball on February 10 as part of its Mardi Gras celebrations. There are ongoing activities all around the state.

Welcome back, then. Enjoy yourself and your loved ones. Have a great semester learning and living.

The Study Schedule: Your Plan to Defeat Procrastination

We have arrived at that point in the semester when students are looking stressed, and are scrambling to catch up with their workload. Many find themselves losing the battle with procrastination, and end up cramming right before an important exam. Their performance is off, and they can’t catch their breath.

Create a Study Schedule

Creating and sticking to a study schedule is easy to do and will help you win your battle against procrastination. Your schedule will help you stay on top of your work, rather than having to drop everything to study for an exam. It will help reduce your stress and improve your long-term retention of information.

Creating a study schedule is easier when you can actually see time. Use this Weekly Schedule to create your schedule, starting with what I call the non-negotiables. These are things you can’t control: your class/lab/clinic and work schedules. Your non-negotiables tend to stay fairly constant from week to week, making them easy to schedule around.

Second, add the things you can control. Start with your sleep. What time do you want to go to bed? Bed time is an individual decision, but what is most important is that you get enough sleep. Try to make sure you are getting between 6 – 8 hours per night. You can’t learn if you are exhausted, so scheduling your sleep is very important. Next, schedule family time. Again, this is different for every individual, but it is important that both you and your family know when it’s family time. They can better understand your need for study time if they know they have time with you. Another important thing to schedule is time for physical activity. It doesn’t really matter what you do – take a walk, go to a yoga class, play basketball with friends – just make sure you are doing something. Your memory and your stress level will thank you.

Finally, schedule blocks of time to study. The number of hours needed will vary by College and by program, but all will require concentrated study time. Try to schedule study blocks every day. You may want to take a day off – like Friday, when you are exhausted at the end of the week – but otherwise, plan to study every day. This will spread your studying out over time, and give you the opportunity to process new information within 24 hours of its presentation. You will be able to stay on top of the work and still have time for reviewing and connecting the new information with what you learned previously. Planned daily study time is the best weapon you have to fight procrastination.

Make the Most of your Study Schedule

You can get more out of your study schedule if you plan what you will study during those hours. First, work on the new material from the day. Take your notes and turn the new information into a series of practice questions you can use to review. Work through the practice questions then add them to your other materials for review. Second, make time daily to review the practice questions, charts, diagrams, and other materials you’ve created, so you are constantly reviewing and re-testing yourself. Be sure you use the study time you’ve blocked. Don’t skip a study session! That opens the door and ushers procrastination right into the room!

Creating and sticking to a study schedule is the first step in defeating procrastination and improving your academic performance. If you want some help creating your own study schedule or need tips on how to study more effectively, the Learning Specialists in the Student Success Center would be happy to work with you. Just complete and submit the Academic Coaching Request form, and we will contact you to set up a meeting.

Planning for Finals

It’s hard to believe, but finals are just a few short weeks away, which means you are probably buried in papers, projects, presentations, and unit tests. Don’t let this sneak up on you! Planning for your finals doesn’t have to be difficult. With just a few steps you can go into finals focused, prepared, and ready for the challenge. Make a plan now so you are primed when the time arrives.

Focused on Finals

Being focused means that you know what you plan to accomplish. One good way to approach this is to make two sets of goals: what you need to accomplish, and what you want to accomplish.

Need to Accomplish. Think of these goals as your minimums. Look at your class performance over the semester. What scores do you need to make to achieve satisfactory performance in each of your classes? Distinguish the classes that will require more effort from those where you already have high scores.

Want to Accomplish. These goals are what will please you. In answering this, make sure you keep these goals realistic. Don’t set impossible goals for all your finals. Set these goals class by class to help keep them achievable.

Balance the two sets of goals and determine a goal for each class. This will help you focus your time management and study strategies to achieve your goals.

Prepared for Finals

Preparing involves more than just going over notes. It’s strategic. It starts right away with time management. Clear your calendar as much as possible and set a study schedule. Then find out whether your tests are comprehensive. If they are comprehensive, then you will want to begin reviewing past material right away. What do you know and what do you need to study? You can’t prepare for a comprehensive final by reading a semester’s worth of notes two days before the final.

Find a way to create notes that allow you to test yourself, especially in content where you are weaker. The more you practice retrieving information, the better your test performance will be, whether you are trying to remember information or applying your knowledge. Self-testing will reassure you that you know what you think you know.

Ready for Finals

Being ready means you have set goals for, and learned as much as you can about, each test. You’ve stuck to a study schedule, and carried out a study plan. It doesn’t mean you won’t be anxious. Ready means that you have done what you need to do, to the best of your ability, for the goals you set.

Take control and plan for your finals now. Don’t wait until the last minute. Getting started now will help reduce your anxiety and make you better prepared when the time arrives.

Working Around a Holiday Cluster

I love vacation time. I love having time off to rest, putter around, or just have fun. I always make sure I have wrapped up my projects so I can relax and not think about work. I like holidays too. They are a gift of free time, spread out throughout the school year, that I can spend however I like. My problem is that I have trouble staying focused and productive during a holiday cluster.

What is a Holiday Cluster?

A holiday cluster is a bunch of holidays grouped together over a short period of time. I always have to plan very carefully in order to be productive during holiday clusters. I feel like I’m always stopping and starting. Does anyone else have that problem?

It starts with Veterans Day in November. Then we get the Thanksgiving holiday. Then we’re back for a couple of weeks, and it’s off for Winter Break. We get back right after the New Year, but then we take another day for Martin Luther King, Jr., then work a couple more weeks and we’re off for President’s Day. Do you see what I mean? The holidays are all clustered together. It can be hard to find your rhythm with all the starts and stops. It can really mess with your motivation.

My Holiday Cluster Woes

When I was an undergrad, I had terrible time management skills. I tended to work in fits and starts, and I rarely planned past the next day. I was always surprised by due dates and exams. They were always scheduled well in advance, with plenty of notice, but I’d be caught off guard every time. Holidays surprised me too. I mean, I knew we got the holiday, but I never seemed to know exactly when it was. I never prepared for the time off. There seemed to be a lot of due dates around the holiday cluster too. I could have prepared for them, but I didn’t, so either my coursework or my holiday suffered. It was usually my coursework.

I did much better as a graduate student. I was older (much) and I was better at managing my time. And now, I know that I have to keep this stuff on my calendar and get everything done before I enjoy the holiday weekend. I know the return week will be challenging, because, for some reason, 4-day weeks seem longer than 5-day weeks. I still find it a challenge.

How do you work around the holiday cluster? Have you found a way to keep your motivation and productivity up? After all, if we are given the gift of free time, we should be allowed to enjoy at least some of it. Don’t you think?

Why Use a Contract and Calendar in Group Projects

Disorganized group projects usually result in a lot of needless drama and a low-quality product. Therefore, it is best to organize information and define expectations for every group member. Two weeks ago, I recommended using Google Drive to increase the quality of your group projects. This week, I want to recommend that you reduce the drama from the start with two elements: a group contract and a Google calendar.

Organize with a Group Contract

A group contract clearly defines the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of every member of the group. There are a lot of options for creating a group contract, and what you choose to include depends on your project, your instructor, and the makeup of your group, but there are some elements I consider essentials. These include:

Contact Information: Include everyone’s contact information. Decide as a group, how much information to share, but include your email addresses, since that’s the how you share documents in Google Drive. Cell phone numbers help communicate quickly, but not everyone feels comfortable sharing personal information. Group members should never be pressured to include more information than they are comfortable sharing.
Roles and Responsibilities: Misunderstandings and misplaced expectations are two of the biggest hurdles in successful group work. Avoid them by listing the roles and responsibilities for each group member in detail. Stating things clearly helps avoid conflicts due to procrastination and last-minute scrambling to get work finished. Don’t forget to include writing an introduction and conclusion, formatting, and proofreading in your responsibilities. These tend to get overlooked and can result in a lot of last minute drama.
Project Description: Include a brief description of your project. This will help maintain focus on the big picture while group members work on their individual parts.
Questions/Notes/Suggestions: Include an area for miscellaneous questions, ideas, and suggestions. You will be glad you did.

As I said before, these are the elements I consider essential. There are other elements your group could add if you need them. Just remember that your goal is efficient, effective, and drama-free group collaboration that results in a successful product.

Organize with the Google Calendar

Using a calendar improves your group’s time management and helps avoid missed deadlines. Create a Google Calendar for the project. Then make sure you post the following:

Due dates: Include due dates for outlines, rough drafts, bibliographies, etc. When you add the due dates, add notifications to serve as reminders. You can add more than one notification to an event and elect to have alerts sent as an email, so figure out with your group members how you will set this up.
Class meetings: Group work is often led by what you are learning in class. Post all your class meeting dates so you stay on top of your workload.
Group meetings: Whether you are meeting online or face to face, get meeting times on the calendar so everyone is aware of them. Take advantage of the calendar notifications to make sure everyone gets a reminder.
Status checks: How often will group members need to check to see that everyone is accomplishing things on time and on deadline? Use the notifications settings to send out reminders.

Share the completed calendar with the group. Use the notification features for each event. Let the technology do some of the work. Reminders get sent automatically once they are set, which means that nobody has to remember to remind everyone else.

A contract and calendar define expectations and keep group members on track. Set your group up for success. Use them to reduce the drama and increase your product quality.