Personal Development Plan

Assignment 7.2: Assembling your Project 's Personal Development Plan

Brenda Jackson

JIU

Professor: Dr. Debra Granville

Critical Thinking 100

Introduction

I am attempting a learning experience and trying to create a Personal Development Plan. This plan will be used as a guide to get me through college with knowledge, a degree and the ability to be successful. “How do I attain balance in my life now that I am a JIU student?” is the process I will use to achieve my goals.
JIU believes that achieving balance in my life will make me a more successful student, and anything that makes me more successful will help me in life. In order for me to be more successful as a student I will have to maintain my focus and keep the ultimate goal in mine: get a degree while being a successful student.
Body of the Paper

I was told to find one article and write a couple of paragraphs on the subject: How do I attain balance in my life now that I am a JIU student? I found so many and the ideas are all so related. I am referencing the ones that I enjoyed the most.

The most important thing to remember in finding balance is that there are ONLY 24 hours in each day and ONLY 168 hours in a week. You can’t manage time; you may only manage yourself and what you do with the time you have.

The best way for me to find balance will be to: 1) Stop procrastinating 2) Work with my advantages 3) Create goals 4) Prioritize my “to do items” 5) Study at my most alert times 6) Focus on what is important to ME

I can attain balance in my life now that I am a JIU student by realizing obtaining a degree is THE goal I wish to achieve and in order to achieve it, I must first stop procrastinating.

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” - Edward Young (1683-1765)

When I overcome procrastination I should experience a sense of accomplishment that I am in charge of my decisions and I will continue to excel at any goal I set. My sense of pride in accomplishing my desires will be by achieving my goal: to obtain a degree.

A rigid schedule will not work for me. I must create a new strategy in order to balance my life: my animals, my family, my studies, my work, and my fun time. Please note that I live alone, with my dogs; my one child is an adult with children, and so my dogs have to rank first because they are dependent upon me for their food, water, toys, and a safe place to sleep.

[pic] Figure 1 Daisy 08-24-10

I can attain balance in my life now that I am a JIU student by realizing obtaining a degree is THE goal I wish to achieve and in order to achieve it, I must first stop procrastinating.

Giving up my procrastinating lifestyle will make me be more successful as a JIU student.

One of the articles that I selected this week for discussion was an excerpt from California Polytechnic State University on procrastination. According to them procrastination is a psychological behavior. While it affects everyone to some degree, in others it is a cause of stress and anxiety. “Procrastination is only remotely related to time management, (procrastinators often know exactly what they should be doing, even if they cannot do it), which is why very detailed schedules usually are no help.” I agree with them and although I don’t think I am the worst, I do believe that I can do better. The article is short but all the points are believable and not just opinions, I believe they are based on facts.

TRUE Statements

b. If I am working on an assignment and I decide to take a break and get away from it for awhile, I might do a better job. (Sometimes, you have to step away, take a break, sort things out and then start with a fresh out look and a rested spirit.)

d. If I work really hard, I will make A’s. (There is no other way, if you are to maintain a high, ethical standard.)

FALSE Statements

a. Online learning is easier to plan in my busy schedule, and online learning is easier than going to a traditional college. (I feel the first half of this statement is true, but the last part is false. The expectations of a student are important regardless of the type of college you attend.)

c. If I am really good at working under pressure, it is better for me to complete my assignments at the last minute. (What makes this false is what happens if the network is unavailable when you decide to post at the last minute? What happens if there is an emergency and you are unable to complete your assignment at the last moment? It has nothing to do with your ability to work well under pressure, but the fact that you are not in control of the universe.)

e. Discussion assignments don’t count as many points as written assignments, so they are not as important. (That will depend on what the professor assigns to the assignment won’t it?)

The next three statements are a total fabrication. They are for me to examine fallacies in a creative process. They do not reflect the opinion of any rational person.

1) Classroom learning is superior to online learning. The assumption is that you have to attend a traditional college in order to learn. (You are expected to do as much online as you would in a traditional college; you just don’t have to leave home to learn.)

2) A Distance Learning Degree Won 't Be Accepted by Employers. The assumption is an employer will not even consider an online degree as real. (A lot of employers are turning to online education because of the ease of scheduling. “Many employers offer tuition reimbursement to their employees knowing full well that the degrees are being earned online or through other distance learning methods.”)

3) Online learning shortchanges learners by not allowing important teacher-to-student and student-to-student interaction.

The assumption is without that classroom you will miss out on so much that it will affect what you learn. (Discussions and peer collaborations are what make online classes as interactive as being in the class room; you just don’t have 300 other people in the room. The Forums used by JIU are very user friendly.) Before considering a distance learning course, consider the following: 1. Do I work well unsupervised? 2. Am I able to stick to a schedule and avoid procrastination? 3. Can I meet deadlines? The problem of not finding balance in my life now that I am a JIU student will have both long and short term effects that will not help me meet my goals of obtaining a degree, with as much success as possible. The results of which are: Failure to succeed in pursuit of a degree; a total loss of faith in my abilities; Feeling like a fool for the monetary investment; Losing time that I can’t replace; the sacrifices that can not be erased in time I could have spent with my grandchildren; and the knowledge I won’t have to pursue my dream of establishing a successful business. The most important thing to remember in finding balance is that there are ONLY 24 hours in each day and ONLY 168 hours in a week. You can’t manage time; you may only manage yourself and what you do with the time you have. I will have to focus on what is the most important to me in my time management efforts. If I truly want this degree I will have to manage my time wisely, pursue my degree diligently, maintain contact with my family, budget my money wisely, keep my mind set on my goals, as I achieve balance in my life, now that I am a JIU Student.

The articles I researched for time management are very relevant for every aspect of life but the one I will return to the most will be the article from The University of Illinois Counseling Center. Their statement “When you don’t accomplish what you truly want, you may feel confused, compromised, and frustrated,” says it all.

I am a little confused on what I discovered as I wrote the results. It was very difficult for me to turn the project into a problem. The results are only what I imagine can happen if I am not diligent; but for me I truly believe the results are fallacies. I say that because I am doing exactly what I want to do and that is attending an online school to achieve my goals. By attending online I am doing what I love, researching things on the computer, except the stuff I am looking for is no longer game or pleasure related, it is guided and focused.
Section 3: Conclusion

These goals are what I am working for and these are the solutions to my problem. Getting the degree is my focus. The cost is a bit too high, but that is the cost for an education and my punishment for waiting until the costs are astronomical to achieve this goal. The long term cost, I hope, will be justified after I reach the pinnacle, obtain a degree, establish my business and became an influential, contributing, successful member of society.

|Possible Solution |Specific Actions and Who is |Time Frame |Success Indicators (How you know |
| |Responsible | |the solution worked) |
| |( I am solely responsible for all | | |
| |Actions) | | |
|Solution 1: |a. Be realistic in planning my time |1 month at a time, then |Homework posted on time, my house |
| |b. Make workable schedules |reevaluate and increase review |is still standing, the dust is at |
|Stop Procrastinating |c. Stick to my plan |time to adjust |least pushed aside, and my dogs |
| | | |don’t growl when they see me |
|Solution 2: |a. Very few distractions |An every day process, this will |No real indicator, just stay |
| |b. Flexible schedule |have to be a life style change |focused and maintain schedules, my |
|Work With My Advantages |c. Work well with deadlines | |school, job and home life are all |
| |d. Alert time is attainable with | |functioning at a peak level |
| |caffeine | | |
|Solution 3: |a. Be a fully engaged student |Life changing forever type of |A degree will be in my hand, I am |
| |b. Have flexible study times |thing. |still relatively sane, and I am |
|Create Goals |c. Have flexible recreation times | |making it! |
| |d. Maintain family relationships | | |

References

Farooq, Sadaf (2010), How to Return to School as an Adult,. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: http://www.howtodothings.com/education/how-to-return-to-school-as-an-adult
Columbia College of Missouri, Strategies for Adult Learners, Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: http://www.ccis.edu/departments/writingcenter/studyskills/studystrategies.html
A Goal Setting Model for Academic Success, Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: http://www.siue.edu/SPIN/activity.html
Retrieved August 16, 2010, from: University of Illinois Student Counseling http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=123
Retrieved August 24, 2010, from http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html
Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: Columbia College of Missouri, Strategies for Adult Learners, http://www.ccis.edu/departments/writingcenter/studyskills/studystrategies.html
Retrieved August 24, 2010 from: http://online.allenschool.edu/static/pdf/Online_myths.pdf
Retrieved August 25, 2010 from: http://www.elearners.com/guide/why-online-education/10-myths-about-distance-learning/
Retrieved August 31, 2010 from: http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=123
Retrieved August 24, 2010 from: Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving,

References: Farooq, Sadaf (2010), How to Return to School as an Adult,. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: http://www.howtodothings.com/education/how-to-return-to-school-as-an-adult Columbia College of Missouri, Strategies for Adult Learners, Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: http://www.ccis.edu/departments/writingcenter/studyskills/studystrategies.html A Goal Setting Model for Academic Success, Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: http://www.siue.edu/SPIN/activity.html Retrieved August 16, 2010, from: University of Illinois Student Counseling http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=123 Retrieved August 24, 2010, from http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html Retrieved August 15, 2010, from: Columbia College of Missouri, Strategies for Adult Learners, http://www.ccis.edu/departments/writingcenter/studyskills/studystrategies.html Retrieved August 24, 2010 from: http://online.allenschool.edu/static/pdf/Online_myths.pdf Retrieved August 25, 2010 from: http://www.elearners.com/guide/why-online-education/10-myths-about-distance-learning/ Retrieved August 31, 2010 from: http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=123 Retrieved August 24, 2010 from: Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving,