{"id":18118,"date":"2017-03-09T12:41:02","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T12:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.next-action.co.uk\/?p=18118"},"modified":"2017-03-09T12:43:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T12:43:17","slug":"get-ahead-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.next-action.co.uk\/2017\/03\/09\/get-ahead-university\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get ahead at university"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This week\u2019s blog highlights Next Action Associate’s pro bono work in higher education and gives a few suggestions about how GTD might help if you\u2019re a student (or if you know someone who is).<\/em><\/p>\n

Just around the corner from tonight\u2019s gathering of the University of London\u2019s brightest and best sits the 19th century social reformer, Jeremy Bentham. Quite literally. His mummified body has been sitting in a display case in the South Cloister of University College in Bloomsbury since 1850.<\/p>\n

When he decided to have his body preserved for posterity he\u2019d have been alarmed to discover what fate had in store for his head. You see it was decided – after the mummification went awry – that his head would be replaced by a wax copy and the original kept in a separate box. Unfortunately, this invited numerous student pranks down the years. On one occasion the students of Kings College stole Jeremy\u2019s head and held it to ransom for \u00a3100. On another, it was kidnapped, spirited away to Scotland and eventually found in the left luggage of Aberdeen train station.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the students gathered for this evening\u2019s \u2018Introduction to GTD\u2019 talk have much higher and nobler aspirations in life. They\u2019re all members of Team Up<\/a>, a charity that trains students to tutor children from low income backgrounds in London schools.<\/p>\n

While their heads will never experience the abuse suffered by poor Jeremy, they\u2019re already discovering that their educational journey is bringing other mental stresses as their commitments multiply and responsibilities increase. With this in mind, here are some thoughts on how GTD best practices can help students take the strain\u2026<\/p>\n

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  1. Capture<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Have a system ready to capture new ideas and commitments at all times so you\u2019re not wasting headspace tracking and remembering them. You already do this for lecture notes but there are other times when it\u2019s useful, too. A Masters student I know has a \u2018distraction wall\u2019 for when she\u2019s writing essays. If she\u2019s interrupted by a distracting thought, over on the wall it goes; captured on a post-it note for later but no longer a barrier to the free flow of thought. Think also about less predictable moments when ideas strike, too. What will you use when you\u2019re on the bus to an early morning lecture and a bright idea strikes?<\/p>\n

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    1. Clarify<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Once you\u2019re capturing your new inputs effectively, regularly sit and decide what they mean. With each, what\u2019s the specific next action<\/em> that is required? Discussion with your tutor? Getting a book from the library? Reviewing a paper? Asking Dad for money next time you\u2019re home? This simple practice will transform vague reminders into clear actions that you can act upon more easily.<\/p>\n

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      1. Organise<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        As you generate reminders from the clarification process, lists are a highly practical way to store the future actions you need to take. In the GTD methodology we have some lists that have helped the busiest of people time and again, and the world of study is no different;<\/p>\n

        Projects list<\/u> – a simple list of all the outcomes you need to achieve this year that require multiple steps. It will enable you to stay focused and keep different plates spinning from week to week as the semester progresses. Here are some examples of project outcomes in a college context:<\/p>\n