1) Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time.
As a working professional, the new norm is to sustain the inundated series of notifications, emails, phone calls, customers interaction, job responsibilities, etc. The common behavior I resort to during constant channels of interruptions is multi- tasking. Although this is successful for the nature of the workplace and I am very strong in time management as an employee, applying these strategies to my classes has not served me well. Multi- tasking decreased my attention to note taking which enabled me to be unfamiliar with weekly cupcakes as well as exams in other classes. I failed miserable with my time management this semester. My cupcakes scores were poor, I did not give myself enough time to work on assignments, I missed deadlines and ultimately this has impacted my overall grade.
2) Tell us what you learned from it.
This semester has taught me the importance of being adaptable. As a 100% online student taking classes full time, maintaining structure is highly important. Very similar to entrepreneurship, managing time is a critical step towards the goal of success for an online program. Rather than harping on the lost time, making up for it and learning how to better prepare myself has been my biggest take away and lesson learned. I also would have liked to have spent more time on the exercises and involvement in this class in particularly. I am naturally interested in entrepreneurial concepts, my time has been limited, fortunately there are little things that I can do to change that and improve my outcomes.
3) Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure. Failure is hard, isn't it? It's embarrassing, sure, but it also means that we have to change something about ourselves. Talk about how you handle failure (emotionally, behaviorally). Finally, talk about how this class has changed your perspective on failure -- are you more likely to take a risk now than you were just a few months ago?
Going into week 10, I am able to reflect on victories and areas for improvement. This semester has been eventful in more ways than one. Something that helps me see through times when things do not go as anticipated is my perspective. Failure is never fun and often it is humiliating, but it's how you come back from it that makes it rewarding. If I could do it all over again, I would be more disciplined with my time and worked ahead on assignments to better prepare myself for deadlines. Now, I am better equip for my second semester at UF as an online student with a realistic view on how to best manage my time.
I also struggle with keeping up with deadlines on time. Schedules can get hectic, and often this means throwing some classes to the wind because at some point something has got to give. I struggled with not procrastinating this summer as well. It is so easy to get behind and once you are behind it seems nearly impossible to catch up. Failure is never fun, but it can often be our biggest growing period.
ReplyDeleteYour post is well said! I believe it speaks to many of us, especially me. The amount of (thoughtful) work in such short time is really challenging with this course. I find it more difficult than my other classes this semester for the sheer amount of time required, which has made it hard to balance with work, life, other classes, and taking care of others. Every week I felt that I would do better at being ahead rather than behind such as you mention, but seems there's always something that takes priority. Always a work in progress. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Natali, great post. Time management difficulties seem to be a very common problems with students in this class, myself included. I think this is because this class is is very assignment heavy and eats up a lot of your time. I am also taking steps to improve my time management skills. Good luck with your next online classes.
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