Ranking Priorities with Zane

For me, the hardest part about homework is getting started. Looking at all of the tasks that you have yet to complete may seem a little discouraging-especially with the deadline approaching. I’ve found however, that if you take the time out to break down theses assignments and strategize, the workload may not be as tedious as you thought.

For this week’s tech blog, I chose to rank my priorities. Begin by making a list of all the assignments and tasks that need to be accomplished in the near future. Next, rank each assignment according to its importance, difficulty etc. For example: If an assignment is due the following day one might label it “A” for “Absolutely essential”. You may then create subdivisions within your ranked assignments. A project, for instance, may be split up into a logical sequence or order of tasks. For my list, I choose to rank my classes in order of their importance for the upcoming week:

A. CLS 105	B. MAT 122	C. PSC 121	D. ANT 101	E. ARC 101
A1. Finish Reflection (10 minute technique) A2. Complete Annotations of Syllabi A3. Complete Faculty Interview Project (Monday)	A1. Review notes for Test (Thursday) A2. 20 minute test Prep (After class) A3. Ten minute technique (Study)	C1. Review for weekly quiz (Tuesday) C2. Generate questions/comments for recitation (Thursday) C3. 20 minute Test Prep	D1. Read D2- Prepare for recitation (Thursday)	E1. 20 minute test prep after class (Monday) E2. Prepare for discussion (Wednesday)

I found that this system was surprisingly beneficial. As demonstrated above, by ranking my priorities I was also essentially chunking the task: breaking the assignments into smaller tasks. In addition, the strategy also got me to think about ways in which I encourage myself to get started, and keep motivated. For the faculty interview project, for instance, I have chosen to use the 10 minute technique to complete my reflection piece (taking short breaks in between the 10 minute intervals). I have also schedule 20 minute test prep session throughout the week to ensure that I am studying frequently throughout the week.

Perhaps more than anything, I have found that when completing your assignments, it is important to reward yourself. Think about things that you enjoy doing (listening to music, eating a snack etc.) and treat yourself when you’ve finished a task or assignment. Perhaps the biggest reward that you’ll receive is the sense of relief you’ll feel when all your work is done.