My Learning Experience Blog - by Emma Cannaby #7 The calm after the storm  (To find out why Emma is writing about her own learning experience - click here)

So the chest infection won.  I attempted a half marathon while ill and had to be rescued at 4 miles... 4 months of training down the drain... better luck next year. That is the risk of putting too much on your plate - the masters has taken priority and other than the odd run I will not be training again until January.

On with the learning

So it's just 3 weeks to the exam and essay deadlines. How can it be managed with a lack of holiday? I find that taking on a masters alongside a job and ‘normal life’ (yes, I do still have one of those!) it becomes a juggling act. Usually you just have to manage the ‘work-life’ balance and most people manage that pretty successfully. Throw another huge commitment into the mix and it becomes somewhat difficult.

Compartmentalising different aspects of my life in the short term seems to work.  I have got into the process of having ‘sections’ in my day.  It works like this:

5.30am – 7.30am  Dog walking and getting ready
7.30am – 8.00am  Drive time
8.00-am – 4.15pm  Work time
4.15pm – 5.00pm  Drive time
5.00pm – 5.30pm  Wind down (I usually watch something recorded from the night before)
5.30pm – 7.30pm  Revision time (this usually takes longer as I generally stop when Mr C has made dinner)
7.30pm onwards  Emma time.

For most of October this was my weekday plan, I then get one day off at the weekend, whether Saturday or Sunday depending on the Rugby World Cup matches.

Revision

I have the plan I designed, with study time outlined and the materials ready for me to re-learn, but do I make sure I do it all?  My answer is lists.  There are a lot of jokes about "list-people", but for me they really work.  So why is that so helpful? You get to note and check off everything you have accomplished such as:

• Re-reading all of the lectures
• Researching all of the topics
• Researching all of the models and theories
• Reading the book list
• Reading my-learning posts

As these are crossed off the list, by the end of a revision session there is instant gratification when you physically can cross "revision" off the master list.

Study leave

Each day I give myself a little ‘Emma Time’. Even though the exam is coming up it is good to take a little vacation,  so Mr C whisked me away to Salcombe, Devon to have 2 days relaxing in preparation for the busy fortnight running up to the exam. 

There is only 1 rule during the relaxation days and that is no thinking!  It was wonderful (for 2 days) and unless it came up in conversation, there was no way I had to remember work, study or the three way juggle. There was time to sit, relax and enjoy. This is what we work hard for.  This is life.

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