Study Break

I'm in the library, having just finished a killer 1-hour reading of, oh, 7 pages of introductory young adult literary theory. I'm torn, because I learned an awful lot and processed a good deal in that hour, but still, an hour for seven pages seems a little ridiculous. I'm not saying I could have done it faster, because I had a study guide to complete as I was reading, but rather, perhaps next time our prof could give us fewer questions? Please?

I like to work ahead, to plan out study sessions to maximize time and get things done and stay focused (and study breaks, such as this little foray into blogworld are very important to maintaining focus and not burning out). But for me, the absolute best part of studying is the planning. When I can sit in front of my planner (God bless Maureen and Liz and Anna who gave it to me for my birthday senior year of college), and use my sticky notes and colored pens to make lists, and then retool the lists as I place tasks in order of priority. I derive great pleasure from being able to cross tasks off lists.

I'm a little Type A, which I firmly believe serves me well in life. It makes things like wedding planning easier. It makes me a good candidate for planning conferences for work, and I truly am working on a bear of a conference for January, with something in the realm of 50 presenters on various career fields, and 500 student/parent participants.

Sometimes I get a little out of control, like when I spent actual time at work planning how I can spend more time at work to "bank hours" for later in the semester when I know I won't be able to pull 20 hours a week. Or when I write the rough draft of a paper a full month ahead of time. Being so Type A brings with it a small amount of anxiety. But in the end, when my fellow students are pulling all-nighters, and I crawl into bed at midnight for my full 8 hours of sweet, sweet slumber, it is then that I appreciate this organized impulse I've been blessed with.