Hi everyone, my name’s Renee Del Castillo, and I go by she/they pronouns.
I want to learn how to efficiently research important topics, and how to support an argument with the research I’ve done. I hope to use these skills to write about topics that are important to me, such as queer/trans history and problems that LGBT people have to face in modern society.
An obstacle that might give me trouble during this semester is time management. It’s definitely caused problems for me in the past, as I was often overwhelmed by the work I put off, and had to compromise by quickly completing some work and neglecting the rest. Inevitably, what I did manage to complete was sloppy at best. I plan to overcome this bad habit by using time management skills I’ve learned during my break from school, and committing to doing well in this course and others.
I manage my academic responsibilities by writing down all of my homework/essays/tests ETC on an app called Egenda. I’ve already got a bunch of future essays and tests scheduled on the app, so I’m always aware of any big tasks that are looming on the horizon. When I have to study, I take a 5 minute break every 30 minutes or so. because if I don’t I tend to burn out and lose focus on what I have to do. It’s essentially designated procrastination, as I use this time to browse social media, chat with friends, ETC. I recommend this method for anyone who’s struggling with procrastination affecting their grades.
As for what I need to excel, I don’t think I need much. Really, all I want is for everyone to be respectful of my pronouns if they refer to me. It’s not much effort, but it means a lot to me. Other than that, I think I’m ready to do well in this class.
The “designated procrastination” way of studying has been super helpful to me. I start feeling like my brain stops functioning when I try to study for more an extended period of time. Those few minutes in between really make a difference.
I love that you want to incorporate the skills you learn in this class to write about things that mean a lot to you, especially with those you mentioned being topics that I feel are essential for people to learn and talk about.
Hi Renee! I completely understand wher eyour coming from about having trouble with time management. I struggled with that my entire life. I never heard of the app Egenda so I will definitely have to check that out. How I’ve been keeping track of my assignments is by, at the beginning of each week, I will write down what I have to get done for each class for that week. I also use a normal calender to right down all future due dates and exams.
The designated procrastination method seems like a method I can definitely get behind. Working in smaller intervals would help me be able to get more work done in the long run.
Hi Renee,
Thanks for sharing that app—I’m wondering, is it free? I’ve seen a few other time management tools but I don’t know which ones have a fee.
I think it’s excellent that you are driven to improve your research skills, and I will support you writing about LGBTQ+ topics for any or all of our essays, as long as you follow the prompts. I think the course theme will work well for you in that it deals with our contemporary world and how we all engage with one another. I look forward to reading your essays!