Personal Blogs

It wouldn't be very British unless I mention the weather that we have been having here in the UK. After a very wet and rainy Summer (even for the UK!), we slid into September with this heatwave! I had just sorted out my Autumn wardrobe when it became too hot to wear that little capsule, but to wear my Summer clothes (which had already been put in a storage container) felt just 'wrong'!! 😅So, I have been relying on those year-round staples. Or, seeing as I have tightly contained work into it's own 'container' of a part-time and certain days only, there has been the option of certain multi weather pyjamas etc whilst I prep for and get myself ahead for this new academic year now the course materials have been released (ahead of the start dates) 😉. I think the weather is easing into Autumn now, and so the Autumn wardrobe can come into its full glory (and in seasonal colour analysis, I am a True Autumn, so this is truly my time to shine 😉).

OK, leaving the weather and colour analysis and wardrobes, and getting our heads into the study game for the rest of this post, here we are in September, materials released for courses starting in around 3 weeks, and maybe wondering what the hell you are doing having signed up for uni! Perhaps a feeling of excitement and overwhelm blended together - 'excitelm' or 'overitement' 😅- or any variation on the theme. This is the time of determination and hopes, but as the term sets in, many of our plans for 'perfect time structure' and 'being on top of things' begin to hit the reality of life and deadlines and we find ourselves eating cereal out of the box with unwashed hair whilst googling something like 'chemical bonds made really simple' and 'can we stretch time?' (or maybe that is just me 😅) . So, how can we keep ourselves in the land of sanity and reach our goals whilst maintaining clean hair and eating at least one fully nutritious meal a day? 😉 Here are some ideas and thoughts I have and that I have also gleaned from some recent Student Hub Live events:

- If you schedule in say 2 hours for a task - make that 2.5 hours - this mitigates for extras happening or needing to be looked up etc. A little break or two within that time too - in one SHL event this week, one student said they do 40 mins study and then a 20 min break - that seems quite a good time division. 

- Schedule in more time/make priority the parts of the course you struggle with more. For example, on my current Combined STEM, this year I am doing a 30 credit biology module, a 30 credit brain/neuroscience -based module, and a 60 credit French module (I gave myself 120 rogue credits for the STEM degree, as only 240 have to be STEM). I can see off the bat the French will require more time, but within the biology, my area of struggle is chemistry - there isn't much of it, but it isn't a subject I have given much time to in my past, and I am unsure I am naturally good at it (or maybe I just told myself I am not, so will need to work through that limiting belief). I am therefore doing a little chemistry primer provided on the module, and also will make sure more time allotment/extra time goes to really getting to grips with the chemistry, as this is my area of less experience/ability of all the subjects. 
So, have a think where you might need to give that extra bit of focus and time to get up to scratch, and factor that in.

- Use whatever aids help you map and manage you map and manage your time and study plan - everything from diaries, to scheduling wipe boards, to big scrap books to stick planner sheets and notes in, to post it notes - figure what works for you. 

- Many years ago when I was 21, doing a lot of study, and realising things don't always fit to the exact and rigid plan I wanted , I came up with the terms 'flexible structure' and 'structured flexibility' to help, and so that I didn't feel I had 'failed' or 'not been disciplined' when things didn't go exactly to plan (I am so grateful that here in my 40s I am not quite as hard on myself as back then!), and I still keep that concept in mind today - sometimes 'flexible structure' fits better in my mind and sometimes 'structured flexibility' - depending on the task at hand and what else is going on I guess!

- Work - Life balance and making sure you get a bit of exercise, friend/family connection etc etc. At the end of the day, your physical and mental health, plus loved ones will be what helps carry you through your studies. When we are studying, it can sometimes feel like it is taking over. Give yourself the gift of connection and movement/variations on movement if you have physical disability. Connection (not just with humans, but animals and Nature) and movement can set us up to feel more equipped for our studies. Balance is key - and I think this might be helpful to come back to in another post. I say 'balance', but I am not 100% sure what that really is! I am not sure this 'perfect balance' is attainable, but being mindful of when things are tipping might be a better way to put it. 

- Check out student hub live - there is all sorts there both in terms of sessions and resources to help you with being a student - plus some fun. Check out the helpful resources on your home page too, and remember student services are there to help you! Don't be afraid to ask!

The Student Hub Live | The Student Hub Live (open.ac.uk)


Until soon!

Take care, keep calm and balance on

Leighah 

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