Time management, or lack thereof

[tarigwaemir]

Ad Mundo Exteriore,

It's my turn to offer birthday wishes:

Happy 18th Birthday, tryogeru! Just wait three more years, and you'll finally be able to drink legally. (Not that the laws are stopping you from enjoying your Tsingtao and vodka. ^_~)

I'm horribly behind on all of my reading assignments. I had been planning to be virtuous about studying in college, but apparently I've just gotten worse. I have free time at the oddest hours, like early in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or the early afternoons on Mondays and Fridays. I'm used to doing homework at night, but the evenings are full of meetings and extracurriculars. It's hard to adjust to this weird routine, especially when I'm trying to go to bed early enough to avoid yawning in class the next day. And I have a sinking feeling it'll be even harder to juggle when I start comping (translation: going through a trial process for an extracurricular publication).

Oh yes, did I mention I also have fast Internet access now? Not so good for the potential Internet addict.

I also have this strange and trivial dilemma about highlighting. See, after HPTF social studies, I can't possibly just read a textbook and set it aside, unmarked or without taking notes. I don't particularly want to take computer notes, because then I work myself into a frenzy about the level of details to include and the organizational structure of ideas. (Also, I'm too lazy.) So the compromise, which seems popular with most of the other students I've seen, is highlighting, right? But I also dislike writing in or marking up my own books. I wince every time I draw the pen across the page. Also, since I'm anal, I get upset when I see that there are yellow dots that have bled through the other side. If highlighting is the best option, then why isn't there some nice method of coating the text without smearing or bleeding or any of those messy things that ink likes to do?

A question for you all: does highlighting actually help you when you review the material for a test? Personally, I find that I just read through the whole chapter again. Unless it's a primary source, in which case I find that outside notes are much better at filtering out the necessary information. I don't want to take notes on hundreds of pages of source material though, especially when I have it all bound together in a $56 book. I'm also a bit of a notecard fan, despite my laziness, but that's really for papers.

And why am I so bothered about the highlighting issue anyway? Someday, I'm going to be diagnosed with OCD.

...Tari

Comments

[tamarisauce.livejournal.com]

I am familiar with your intense dislike for writing in books. I try to avoid it or do it very selectively.
But, I do find it helpful in studying. I don't go back and read the highlighting because I get drawn in by the surrounding material. But I do type up the sections I've highlighted, which eliminates anally reading around the highlighting and worrying about what's too little detail, since I've already decided that. And it's it's really an excellent review (for me at least) to go through and have to process everything again.

[troisroyaumes]

Hm...typing up what I've highlighted...that's actually a pretty good idea. Maybe I'll give it a try, though I'm going to be in pain after each reading session.

...Tari

[tryogeru.livejournal.com]

I've kinda compromised, in which I write and underline in my smaller, philosophy texts, or basically stuff that I probably can't sell again for substantial amounts of money, while my Bio and Chem texts I...well to tell you the truth, I don't read. ^.^;;
I say decided whether you're gonna sell the book, and if not, highlight it to your desire.

Also, they sometimes sell really nice highlighters (gel-like) ones that don't smudge (well, they do if you like run your finger over the mark immediately after) and the best part is that they don't show up on the next page!

I have many highlighters. I haven't actually used them for all my high school career...

O.o

[troisroyaumes]

I should find that kind of highlighter. Gel you say? Hm...should go shopping at Staples again.

I'm not selling any of my books. Family tradition. Both my parents kept all their college textbooks, and we still have them on our bookshelves. It's actually cool--Mother has a great text on literary criticism.

...Tari

[tryogeru.livejournal.com]

Then I think you should write in it all you want, because it'll be really sweet and stuff when you look back, years from now, at your notes and underlining and stuff, and go "what the hell was I thinking" or "man, I was so smart then..."

^.o
~My right contact is acting up..