Time Strategies

 

Time

Picture by unknown 

Source: Wikipedia

I feel like my schedule to work a hour a day for six days a week for this course is something realistic for myself. I know I can't work on the same thing for long periods of time, and need variation, so a hour a day is perfect. Plus, I get my Saturday free! "Realistic Study Plans" by Amanda Collins really got me thinking about what I do during most of my day, how long it takes me to eat, sleep, wake up, etc. Everything takes time is what I concluded, and this article really helped me realize how many hours I actually have during my day to prioritize how I spend my time. I think a really great technique mentioned in this article was physically writing down how many hours a day you spend on doing certain activities. For example, I can write down how many hours I actually spend studying for exams without distraction to get a reality check.  

Another great article on time strategies is "How to Beat Procrastination" by Caroline Webb. There were some great tips to just begin to not procrastinate in this article. One of my favorites was "visualize how great it will be to get it done." I think picturing accomplishment feels good in general, but actually being accomplished would feel even better! Sometimes it's hard to put myself in a situation where I can see myself getting something done like a research paper because it just seems like such a long process. However, Webb's other strategy is just for this struggle! Webb mentions "identify the first step." This tip is more useful than it sounds because you can't get anywhere or get anything done if there are no baby steps. Getting one step done leads to getting another step done, and the cycle will continue. 

Both these articles have great time strategies! I'm looking forward to applying both articles in my daily lifestyle! 

Technology

 

Technology

Picture by Anders

Source: Wikipedia

Coming from someone that is not a big fan of technology tools, I feel like this course will allow me to warm up to technology making blogging easier and more fun. I think I'll probably enjoy bookmarking the most because I know there will be certain websites I'll visit a lot for my blogs like Flickr for pictures. Image editing also sounds interesting because lets face it - we're all looking for that picture perfect image. I think I'll have fun exploring my options with this tool. Graphics Creation will also be so much fun because who doesn't love memes. I'm not familiar with graphic creations, so it'll be a whole new world. I feel like I'll soon be a fan of these blogging friendly technology tools!

Assignments

 

Boomer Sooner

Picture by unknown

Source: Wikipedia

I am excited about the assignments for this course because I'll get to be creative with my work, which is so different from the rest of my classes that consist mostly of science. I think my favorite assignment will be the "blog comments" because it'll be interesting to see how others interpret a story. I'll also get to see how creative people can be with classic tales. It's always fun seeing how different everyone's thought process is. I also just really enjoy looking at different blogs. 

I have a good feeling about the Heart extra credit opportunity. The particular topics in this assignment like health, happiness, and empathy are rarely explored and discussed in my other courses. I think I'll be able to really dig deep when blogging about Heart. Famous Last Words will also be fun to blog about. I think it will be a good reflection of how my week went, and I think I'll really be able to think about my achievements, struggles, future plans, exciting events, and more when doing this assignment. It'll be a good reflection and a positive outlook on the next week. I'll also be able to write about how I felt about my writing in this extra credit assignment, and what I could do better.

Last but not the least, I am excited to learn about Myth-Folklore through stories because I do not feel I have much knowledge on this topic. I'm looking forward to learning more, and understanding more about this topic as I write my own stories! 

Growth Mindset

 

Source: Growth Mindset Memes

Carol Dweck's talk on Growth Mindset, and the concept of "not yet" was introduced to me last semester in Indian Epics. I was grateful to have learned about this at the beginning of the semester because I went into my semester with a positive outlook on learning, and truly learning - engaging in my courses. The end result was feeling accomplished no matter the grade because I knew I was getting better in difficult courses like Physics. I think the concept of "not yet" has taken so much pressure and stress off my shoulders. I realized I do not need to rush into trying to learn everything. I can learn on my own pace, and the results of that are better grades and achievements. For this semester, I plan to keep this concept in mind for my Organic Chemistry Lab. I am a little worried about this course in particular, but I have to remember it is about learning not worrying. From last semester, I feel I am a little higher on the growth mindset spectrum because I stress less, do more, and engage more in academia, fitness, and overall just having a positive outlook. I'm looking forward to see what Dweck's concept has in store for me this semester as I will be preparing for graduation.

Introduction to Myself as a Senior

 

 Personal photo of me in Norman Oklahoma in October 2016

Hi everyone! My name is Dhara Maisuria. I was born in New Jersey, but raised in Pryor, Oklahoma. I am a senior at The University of Oklahoma. I am majoring in Psychology/Pre-Dental with a Biology and Human Relations minor. I have a little sister and brother. My favorite thing to do when I feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just not having a good day is do yoga or pilates. My favorite color is red because it has many meanings like love, anger, passion, color of roses, etc. I love coffee. That being said, I also like to visit different cafes. One of my all time favorites is right here in Norman, Oklahoma—Cool Beans!

I hope to be a dentist one day. I love doing community work that serves to provide better health care to those in need, so I volunteer at OKmom once a year. OKmom is a big free clinic in one area where the dental community in Oklahoma comes together to treat those that cannot have proper dental care. I also plan to finally have the Dental Admissions Test score I want this year. Along with volunteering, I am also a Dental Assistant. My ultimate purpose in life is to serve others through dentistry. However, later on in life I would like to open up a coffee shop of my own while continuing my career.

I feel spending time with the people I care about is very important, so I go home every now and then during breaks to see my family, and drink our daily chai with them while talking about our lives. I enjoy shopping with my best friends. I also enjoy getting a cup of coffee in Oklahoma City with my mentor/friend. I like to try new places to eat with my boyfriend. My favorite place to eat is P.F. Chang's. I live off tofu, egg whites, and broccoli. I've recently found a passion for cooking! A fun fact, I'm vegetarian, but my chicken parmesan is one of my best dishes. A weird but unique thing about myself is that all of my fingers are not straight and bend. I'm pretty sure I'm double jointed, or something of that sort that causes all your fingers to bend. These are just a few little things about my life and myself. Anyways, feel free to ask me any questions. Happy blogging!