"We live and we learn to take One Step at a Time"

     Ever thought about taking advice from an A-list hollywood star? Of course, I know I have. But sometimes thats not always the smartest move. While the media does portray many negative images and messages, many celebrities/artists do emerge with positive and good lessons that are worth listening to. For example, Jordin Sparks 2008 hit "One Step at a Time. In this song she talks about something that one might hope to accomplish and how it takes one step at a time to achieve it. This advice can be used in a variety of circumstances and can be applied to almost anyones life. Personally, I must learn to breakdown my school work into specific steps in order to attain my academic goals. This week we were assigned to pick a problem solving strategy and apply it to our courses. I selected One Step at a Time because it broke down my problems into specific categories. In addition, it not only allowed me to identify the root of my problem but gave me options on how to change and move forward.
     "Hurry up and wait so close, but so far away everything that you've always dreamed of close enough for you to taste but you just can't touch..." It's like Jordin Sparks read my mind! When I receive my assignments for the week I like to put them off for as long as possible. I don't know if it has to do with laziness or the inability to sit down and focus but all I know is a I like my "me" time at night and I do not think of it as a time for studying. On the other hand, I hate when everything is left for the last minute and I get way too stressed out. The thought of finishing my work in a timely fashion always seems like a dream that cannot be touched. Consequently, my goal this week with the problem solving strategies was to find a balance. The one step at a time tactic really proved to help me out. 
    I choose two courses that I felt most behind in and decided I wanted to figure out why I felt this way. Using the chart I was able to identify my problems and come up with specific options that would act as steps toward a more successful semester. In PRL-206, I recognized my problem as not keeping up with my readings on a weekly basis. After taking into account the consequences that could occur from my habits, I was able to list a few options that I thought would help me. Ultimately, picking one that would most realistically work in my daily/weekly routine. The "will do" that I choose says that after every PR class during my one hour break, I would sit down read and annotate the assigned reading for the following class and then add them to that weeks notes. This tactic would ensure that I am doing the readings every week and tackling them while PR was still fresh in my mind. The second course I used the one step at a time chart in was SOC-101. Similar to PRL-206, I had a hard time managing my reading load. I felt that it was okay to not read the textbook because the weekly power point presentations covered all the information. I soon realized potential consequences could include missing detailed points covered in the textbook, but not in the power points and resulting in a loss of points on an exam. Through this problem solving strategy, I realized that if I broke my readings down into multiple sittings I would reduce the amount of stress and ultimately retain more information.
    Although this strategy could result in some limitations on how you study and the time you devote to certain courses. It will eventually teach you the fundamental "steps" you must take in order to achieve success. So whether your Jordin Sparks or just an average joe you must be willing to accept that it takes one step at a time and eventually you will attain your goal.


Below I attached my problem solving charts.