30 January 2020

How I study


The study journey for me started three years ago. I had been out of school for 35 years when I decide to start my first degree. I knew that I was interested in psychology so that was an easy choice for my first major. Communication seemed a logical choice for me and then I decided that I liked the sound of criminology. I registered with Unisa to do distance learning for the first semester of 2018 and I have never looked back. I love planning out the year with assignment due dates and exam dates and my year planner helps so much with this. I use post it notes in my bathroom window with all my assignments on them and I move them to the other window when I’m done with them. I love the visual aspect of seeing progress and this motivates me.


I buy lovely note books, cheap but lovely for each module and then get all my guides and tutorial letters that are so efficiently delivered soon after registration. My textbooks are kept in the same place, so I have no excuse. I have a huge plastic tub that has beautiful gel highlighters, post it notes, markers and pens.
I like my workplace to be comfortable, so I usually go on to YouTube and search ‘music to study to’, alpha wave music. I have everything I need in arms reach, a big jug of water, my stationery, and then, I set my phone timer for 40- minute sessions. I don’t do more than this without a swim, a walk-about or some other distraction. I draw crazy pictures when making notes and employ techniques that I have recently discovered called memory palaces. So far this has worked fine for me.


02 January 2020

My 2020 list of goals

So this is my third list of around 101 goals that are meant to be completed in 1001 days.
I hope to finish these a lot sooner.


1 100 blog posts for 2020
2 48 hours no technology
3 arrange my photos
4 attend a barista course
5 attend a wine course
6 attend another cooking class
7 back up all photos onto dvd and external drive
8 be able to have a conversation in Spanish
9 be in a floatation chamber
10 blog once a month for 6 months
11 botanical gardens in Stellenbosch
12 cape town aquarium
13 complete 10 scrapping unfinished projects
14 complete a one line a day journal
15 complete my coaching certification
16 complete the Neuro Linguistic programming course
17 complete the parkrun alphabet challenge 
18 Continue Sunday family lunch
19 create 2 more photo books
20 detox form sugar addiction
21 do a Camino/walking tour
22 Do Jocks trail
23 do the Fresh start challenge
24 Do the Gorky Park parkrun
25 do the tunnel tour in cape town
26 Document “A Day In My Life” in photos.
27 drink green tea once a day
28 drink Vodka in Café Pushkin in Moscow
29 Drop off something to eat at the police station 
30 earn my volunteer shirt
31 eat at a Michelin restaurant
32 eat at chefs table
33 Eat at de strandloper in Langebaan
34 eat at Fermier
35 Eat at Marble courtesy of Bethuel and Corne 
36 eat at mosaic
37 eat at rockets
38 eat at the Fat Duck
39 eat Vegan for a week
40 Explore the Winelands on the Franschhoek Wine Tram  
41 fill my joy jar again
42 finish my degree
43 finish the Zanzibar photobook
44 fly to East London for parkrun
45 fly to George airport for parkrun
46 get a coach
47 get all my bingo times on parkrun
48 get another tattoo
49 get my credit card into credit by year end
50 get my cv up to date
51 get my international tourist badge
52 get my time under 45 minutes for 5 kms
53 get my windgat cap 100 different parkruns
54 get to level 5 in all areas in Spanish
55 get to my next weight loss goal 
56 Go on a hike
57 go on a silent retreat
58 go on a spiritual retreat
59 Go to Neetlingshof
60 go to the Franshoek chocolate factory
61 gym once a week for muscle strength
62 have 3 couples over for dinner 
63 Have a board game evening
64 have a sanctuary in the garden
65 high tea at mount nelson
66 host/attend a cocktail party
67 Keep a “My Day in Six Words” journal for a month 
68 keep my emails under 200
69 know all the European capitals and flags
70 learn new things every month this year at our Fabulousness group
71 learn to remember peoples names
72 listen to Bennie Lewis Ted talk
73 make 10 things from Pinterest
74 make 3 new friends
75 make a Bali photo book
76 make a deck under the tree
77 make all my 900 vitality points weekly
78 mentor someone at work
79 no alcohol in January
80 overnight train trip
81 parkrun in Swaziland
82 pick 5 countries and try a meal from each
83 play a game of croquet
84 read 5 of the books on Susan Frances' EQ reference list
85 read moonwalking with Einstein Joshua Foer
86 read the magnetic memory Anthony Metiver
87 research and practice memory palaces Joshua fore
88 road trip with friends
89 run another training course
90 Rust en Vrede for lunch
91 see Linda once a month
92 send a message to each Facebook friend
93 Send flowers anonymously to someone who needs cheering up
94 shower in a waterfall
95 sort out all my clothes
96 sort out my scrapping room
97 sort out old photos with Dolores
98 speed reading course
99 spend a night at the palace
100 spend a night in the desert
101 spend time with Devin
102 spend time with Kiara
103 Start a compost heap
104 stay at Enjo farm
105 swim at the gym once a week
106 swim with dolphins
107 Take Nanna for a massage regularly
108 Tea garden called birdcage
109 The spice route in Franschoek
110 touch my toes
111 try 10 new wines
112 try Anki
113 use my stamps in scrapping
114 visit 3 new wine farms
115 visit a new country
116 Visit a psychic
117 visit a reiki healer
118 visit Asmara estate for a meal
119 visit Cairns
120 Visit Cancun
121 visit Clarens again
122 visit New York
123 visit Old Trafford again
124 visit Russia
125 visit Scotland
126 visit Swaziland again
127 visit Tangalooma
128 visit Tarryn and Luke
129 visit Turkey
130 Visit Victoria Falls
131 wake up an hour earlier every day
132 watch all the family DVD's