Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Doing the Hard Part



“It’s often a lot more fun and relaxing to focus on the parts that aren’t hard. Or to pretend that the hard part is easy.”

This reminded me of how I like to get things done. I like to identify the hard parts. Then I decide if I want to do the hard parts first or last.

Whenever I take a test, I will answer all of the ones that I can do easily first. I put a little mark by the ones I left blank, so I don’t miss them when I come back to them. This helps me maximize the points I can get. I would hate to spend too much time on the hard parts and then not have enough time to answer questions that I know the answer to. It also gives me time to let the adrenaline rush to settle down. There is something about taking tests that make my body go into fight or flight mode because I fear the unknown. Once I’m able to go through all of the questions, I can be more relaxed.

Sometimes when I can identify the hard part of a project, I like to get it out of the way first. That way, I know the rest of the project can go quicker and easier. I find it is the best way for me to tackle any project. My friend says I’m very goal-oriented so that is why this is the best process for me.

It is important that my students find out what works best for them. Just because something works well for me, doesn’t’ mean it will be the same for them. In order for them to discover this is by trying different ways and allowing them the freedom to learn what works or doesn’t work. I need to help them figure out why something works or doesn’t work so reflection is an important part of this discovery process.

Questions they need to answer are:
Was I able to identify the hard parts?
Was it easier to do the hard part first or last?
What made the hard parts hard and what made the easy parts easier?
What would I do differently if I had to do this again?
What advice would I give someone who was going to do this?

How do you tackle projects? What is your process? Please share.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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