Motivation

If you see me on a regular basis, you know I never have the same color nails for too long a period of time. And by too long, I mean over a day. Needless to say, I love to paint my nails. However, the thing about painting nails, is that is takes roughly 40 minutes to finish the entire process from removing the last nail polish to drying. I always have the patience for it, but the problem is, I don’t always have the time. In high school, especially senior year, I was able to spend almost every evening painting my nails a different color. In college, however, I’ve found that spending the time painting my nails every night when I should be doing schoolwork, had not been working to my benefit. Which is why I decided to use painting my nails as a motivation method in order to get work done.

How it works:

Step 1: Choose a piece of school work

Step 2: Choose a nail color

Step 3: Break up the work into 10 or 20 minute increments

Step 4: Alternate between work and nails until the work is finished

Step 5: Once work is finished, finish nails completely

Step 6: Have nicely painted nails and a finished piece of schoolwork!

Sometimes, if I really need to concentrate for a longer period of time than just 10 or 20 minute increments, then simply paint one hand, take a break from the nail process for as long as you need to finish the work, and then finish the other hand when you’re done.

You are welcome.

MOTIVATION

Dear Reader,

This week's blog topic is motivation. I am on a journey to find motivation for myself. I can not recommend tips on a topic, which I am familiar with but NOT experienced with. Therefore, my dear reader you are my companion on my everlasting journey.

PROBLEM: Eats when stressed.

My main problem is that I LOVE FOOD.... I always talk about food & I eat when I'm stressed. The consequences are: I am overweight, I feel sluggish and I lack energy.

I NEED MOTIVATION..

My main goal is to get in track with my healthy life style: eat a balanced diet & exercise regularly.

STRATEGY: REWARD yourself !

OK, so in my situation: If I keep up a healthy diet and exercise regularly in the

next week, I will pay $100 to enter in a competition similar to the show: Biggest Looser. The winner receives a

$5,000 reward!

1. I identified three different types of rewards that fit in the categories: no-cost reward, low-cost reward & high-

cost.

2. I will use one category of rewards for a week.

3. After three weeks, I will analyze which type of reward motivated me the most to accomplish my goal.

STRATEGY: WEIGHING CONSEQUENCES; make a chart....

1. I identified the situation where I lack motivation.

2. I identified the consequence due to the lack of motivation.

3. Pluged in the assessment. My lack of motivation is clearly significant because it has become a part of my daily routine: habit.

4. My plan to is to exercise in order to release stress at the gym, instead of overeating.

3. I will exercise regularly at 8 a.m. before class.

The common conception is that motivation leads to action, but the reverse is true- action preceded motivation.

Robert J. McKain

Motivation-DO IT!

For me personally getting motivated is the hardest aspect of completing an assignment. Once I become motivated and actually get started I will be able to finish. However, if I do not get that initial motivation it is hard for me to get into the assignment, which is often. Reviewing the motivation strategies I was particularly drawn to one method the “Rewards” system.

I believe this method to be most effective as if I know there is something I am going to get out of completing the assignment on time and efficiently I find that I suddenly become motivated. I used this method for two classes Three-Dimensional Arts and College Learning Strategies

For 3-D I rewarded myself with food. As this studio starts at 1:30 and ends at 6pm sometimes I stay after until 10pm in studio hours to complete my work. Usually around 8ish I become hungry tired and de-motivated. Therefore, I devised a plan to keep me on track and motivated I give myself a goal such as (it was this week we are building with wood) if I completed the sides to my box I could go eat. This tool of motivation worked really well as I love to eat and not only am I taking a break but boosting my energy to go back to the studio and continue on. 

My next class I used it in was CLS. ClS an assignment due every Wednesday and every Sunday. To ensure that I could go out with my friends on the Thursday and Friday nights I gave myself the task of completing both the journal for this upcoming week and TECH assignment before it was actually due. Ergo my reward method was socializing with my friends. I consider socializing a very important aspect of my life and nine times out of ten I will always put my social life before my school work. Consequently, by making this a reward for work I actually completed my assignments on time. In opposition although I did not have to follow through with my possible consequences I had planned out for myself (because I completed my work on time) I decided that if I didn’t get my work done that I would have to stay until I completed it. Which would have been very annoying and I knew that I would not have been motivated then and that’s what I think motivated me that much more because I knew I wouldn’t get it done unless I did it now. 

Memory

For some people, the worst thing about tests is memorization. For me, this has always been the easiest part. Since I was completely set in my ways, I was skeptical about our assignment to try and use a specific method from the textbook. However, I realized my method of memorization fits into the methods mentioned in the book. The method called “link”. The link method involves taking a word and using another word that you associate that word with, so whenever you see that word, the other word that you associated it with will help you to remember what it means. Now, I don’t use other words in association with the word I need to know, but I use pictures. The way this works, is I take a word, and then find a picture that I can associate the word with. This, I can visualize the word in my head and remember it based on the image. For example, in one of my classes I have current event quizzes every so often. In order to remember the top stories in the news, I used the link system with images. I typed out one or two words for each top story, such as Libya, Earthquake, Cell Phones, and Nuclear Plant. I then took an image which would help me remember the general Idea of the story. Once I had my images, I placed them right next to the word in large font on my computer.

LIBYA ------> image

EARTHQUAKE ------> image

CELL PHONES ------> image

NUCLEAR PLANT -----> image

Every so often I looked back at the word with the image, and recited to myself the news story. After about three days of doing this every so often, these images were instilled in my head and I was able to recite the story and even the details on my current events quiz. For some, other words in association with the word you need to remember is helpful. For me, I found pictures to be way more helpful. It all depends on how you learn, but for those who want to use the link method but like to see images, this would be perfect for you.

Memory Strategies

For my TECH assignment I used the Memory Strategy called “7 ways to remember what you need to learn”. I completed this strategy in my Design History class, as it is my only academic based class. To complete this Memory Strategy you need to follow seven steps.

1. Select it, which involves distinguishing the important information and key terms over less significant material. For me as a kinesthetic and visual learner I first looked over the book and highlighted the important information I thought I would need to add to my notecards later
2. Write it, the second aspect, which involves taking notes in lecture, writing a summary of what you learn in class and then transforming that information onto anther method such as notecards or margin notes. For me personally I went to lecture, secondly I used my highlighted notes from the book and made very detailed notecards. I believe the process of making notecards is very essential for me as a kinesthetic and visual learner as not only writing the information down multiple times is helpful but also visually seeing the images.
3. Recite it, is the next aspect, which involves discussing the material in a study group. For me I blended steps one and two a little as I made all of my notecards in a group of people. Then after I was done we all as a group went over the notecards and discussed the possible test outcomes.
4. Relate it, this aspect was the hardest for me to do simply with the large quantity of information. This step requires you to think about the new information and the relate it to something you already know about. An example of the connections I made was with a design lamp called a tiffany lamp. I used a reference of a date and time I went to TGI-Fridays as those lamps remind me of that memory. I have found it hard to link images however I found the most effective way is to reference it to a memory.
5. Imagine it, is when you mentally visualize the material. This was great for me as my exam is completely image based; I found this step also helpful in connection with step number four.
6. Practice it; this step is exactly as it says it is, practicing. This action involves reviewing old notes/ notecards frequently (like every day). As I have so much information I placed all of my notecards on a spiral ring so that I could not loose any images. This also helps me break up the work. The spiral notecards hold 100 notecards and the material we need to cover completes three whole notecards rings. This works out perfectly for me because every day I study a different spiral of notecards on a three-day cycle. I believe this is the best method for me to actually learn the material and not just study it as a lot of times I memorize something but don’t actually learn it. Therefore, one a three-day cycle of notecards it guaranteed that by the time the third day comes around I have already forgotten the notecards from the first day, allowing me to really learn the material. 
7. Finally the last step is, anticipate it. Anticipate it involves thinking about what a specific author or professor might tell you, to then read or attempt to understand with a purpose. For me personally I used my skills as a mainly visual learner to anticipate the different objects and pictures that could be in each movement and elements that fall in that genre. 

here is the notecards I use in a spiral form

Mnemonic Devices & Link System

Mnemonic Devices: Kinesthetic Learner

Step 1: Choose information that you must memorize and learn about.  

I had to rember the three main anesthetics. 

Step 2: Underline the first letter of each of the key terms that you must learn.

The three main anesthetics- ether, nitrous oxise, and chloroform.

ETHER

NITROUS OXISE

CHLOROFORM

Step 3: Create a word that will help you to remeber all three of these terms.

The word I created was cone. 

Link System:

Step 1: Select the word or concept you need to remeber.

I chose the concept Compulsive Behaviors 

Step 2: Create an image or word that can be pictured that looks like or sounds like the abstract word or concept. 
The picture that I chose was a picture of someone gambling because this reminds me of someone having compulsive and addictive behaviors.

Mnemonic Devices & Link System

Mnemonic Devices: Kinesthetic Learner

Step 1: Choose information that you must memorize and learn about.  

I had to rember the three main anesthetics. 

Step 2: Underline the first letter of each of the key terms that you must learn.

The three main anesthetics- ether, nitrous oxise, and chloroform.

ETHER

NITROUS OXISE

CHLOROFORM

Step 3: Create a word that will help you to remeber all three of these terms.

The word I created was cone. 

Link System:

Step 1: Select the word or concept you need to remeber.

I chose the concept Compulsive Behaviors 

Step 2: Create an image or word that can be pictured that looks like or sounds like the abstract word or concept. 
The picture that I chose was a picture of someone gambling because this reminds me of someone having compulsive and addictive behaviors.