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Bree Hurn - Motivation 101
147 Plays3 years ago
In this episode we are speaking to Bree Hurn: a wonderful university lecturer, doctoral student and mum of 2!
We discuss:
- The best advice for students who want to stay on top of their studies
- The best time management techniques
- What apps to use for focussing
- How to plan out your studies
- ... and so much more!
Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and hit the notification so you'll always be in the know about how to succeed in your education.
For more study tips and tricks, check out our Instagram @allthingseducation21
Stay educated everyone!
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Overview
00:00:12
Speaker
Hey guys, how are you doing? It has been a long, long time. I'm literally dusting off the microphone because it's been forever. But thank you so much for tuning in today. I'm really excited for this episode. It's been a long time coming.
00:00:26
Speaker
We have Brie Hearn on the show today. Now, I'll explain a little bit more about who she is and her relevance to the episode, but I wanted to let you know what the episode's actually going to be about. First off, it's going to be so wild. We're going to be talking about all the inside secrets about what the most successful students do in terms of, you know, their organization and building strong relationships, forming great habits, time management planning, looking after your mental health, physical health, et cetera.
00:00:52
Speaker
We cover all of our bases today, which is awesome. I can't wait to get started, but just before we do, I wanted to let you know that make sure you're following us on Instagram at allthingseducation21. All right, let's jump right into it.
Guest Brie Hearn's Background
00:01:05
Speaker
Okie dokie guys, so our guest on the show today is none other than Brie Hearn, who has a Masters in Teaching, is the Clinical Teaching Practice Coordinator, as well as a Lecturer, Doctoral Student and Mum of Two. Brie teaches at the University of Melbourne and is going to share some amazing information on the show today, so get ready to be super motivated. So welcome Brie to the Old Things Education Podcast, how are you doing today?
Habits of Successful Students
00:01:31
Speaker
I'm doing really well. Thanks, Mary. And thank you so much for having me. It's lovely to be here. No, definitely always. It's been a long time calming this episode. So let's jump straight into it and talk about your story for a little bit. Could you give us, I guess, a bit of a rundown about what you are currently a lecturer for and your general plans for the future? Sure. Yeah. So I lecture at Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne, as you said.
00:02:01
Speaker
I teach in language and literacy, predominantly. So I work in our Masters of Teaching and our Masters of Education. So I work with pre-service teachers and then also practicing teachers as well. I am involved in lots of professional development, professional learning with practicing teachers. And so I do that with a variety of schools and a variety of
00:02:26
Speaker
settings, both here in Victoria and interstate as well. And I also have a role in placement. So I look after the clinical practice side of our early childhood and primary students. Yeah, that's awesome. Oh, so cool. So, you know, like you mentioned, and like I mentioned, you're at the University of Melbourne.
00:02:47
Speaker
So you must, I guess, see a lot of different students at different levels and academic stages in their study lives. So what do you reckon do you think the most successful students are doing in terms of their study life, especially, I guess, like their organization skills and how they're forming habits and
00:03:05
Speaker
managing to keep on top of their studies while also balancing that and enjoying their social life. Sure. So I suppose the most successful students, first of all, are the ones who show up and are really present with what they're doing. So and by that, I mean show up in person or online if that's the mode that they've chosen. But more so, I mean, just be really mindful of where they are and what's needed in order to be successful
00:03:35
Speaker
in whatever that subject is. So it's about being organised when they come to class. It's about having time carved out to really focus on what it is. The other thing that really successful students do is they seem to have a good handle on management of their different demands. So when it comes to their academic life, things like
00:04:00
Speaker
their deadlines. So they're good at backwards mapping, you know, they might look at all their due dates where they have, you know, exams and assignments, things like that due. And then they look at their calendar and they sort of map backwards how long something's going to take. They're good at prioritizing, you know, they're good at prioritizing what's due first. And so, you know, even though that might not be what they want to work on, they know that that's what needs to be handed in first. So that's just a really kind of simple practice
00:04:28
Speaker
that we would always advocate.
Building Relationships in University
00:04:31
Speaker
The most successful students schedule time in their calendars for every part of their university life, so not just their classes, but they block out time for their readings, for example. In a course like ours, there's a lot of academic literature to wade through, and so
00:04:48
Speaker
I know that's the case with lots of students across schools and across universities. So they almost make appointments with themselves and their calendars for reading time, as well as actually attending class, their lectures and their tutorials, and also working on assignments and city exams.
00:05:09
Speaker
physically. So those students who do really well make time for reading, but they also do something actively whilst they're reading. They don't rely on their memory just to hold all the information. They are taking notes or they've got, you know, some kind of research software that they're using, you know, be it Zotero or Mendeley or even just their own, you know, practice where they're able to take notes whilst they're reading just to help
00:05:34
Speaker
you know, secure that information and really bridge that gap between knowledge and understanding, I suppose. And I suppose just around that is being intentional about your time. So, you know, university students are obviously juggling.
00:05:55
Speaker
a lot of priority school students are the same. So as you said, you want to have a social life, you want to be able to, you know, have some downtime, you want to be able to, you know, fit in some, um, you know, whether you play sport or you're into reality TV or whatever it is. So it's being able to be really mindful of where your energy is best to do the work that you need to get done so that you can still, you know, make sure that you've got lots of fun in your life and lots of downtime, because otherwise you just,
00:06:24
Speaker
begin resenting the time that your academic studies are swallowing up. So I like to myself, and I always advocate this for the students, is that maybe on the weekend, they plan out their most important tasks for the coming week. And then each evening, they plan out the three most important tasks for the next day. So that way, they're not getting overwhelmed. And it's just a matter of, OK, I need to read these two articles and
00:06:51
Speaker
make notes on them, I need to study for this body of literature for this exam, and I need to speak to this lecturer, so I need to make an appointment with this lecturer to speak about this, for example. And then that way, when you get to the end of the day and you're able to cross them out, there's a really positive feeling and a sense of achievement, and then you can reassess that evening what looks achievable for the next day. So they're just a few tips.
00:07:15
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And I love that last one, especially Bri, because I guess it also gives a lot of mental clarity as well. And I feel like I know for myself when I'm making to-do lists and crossing them off, it just feels like all of the little micro things I need to do, the minor things, I'm kind of just getting rid of out of my head when I write them down as well. And then crossing them off and physically seeing they're completed is just such a satisfying thing.
00:07:42
Speaker
It's really alleviates that mental load and it also gives you some confidence that you can keep going, doesn't it? So that's really important. Yeah, the extra stimulation. Yeah, no, I love
Securing Placements and Professionalism
00:07:51
Speaker
it. And what about good relationships? How successful, like, I guess, how successful students are achieving that? Yeah, forming positive relationships is really important. I think it's something that we probably underrate, if I'm honest.
00:08:08
Speaker
Really, the most important thing that I would say is that you need to be a person at university and not just a name. And same as at school. So your teachers and your lecturers are seeing huge numbers of students on their list. If they can put a face to your name and they can put a personality to your name, that is going to make your experience so much richer. So make sure you make an effort to introduce yourself
00:08:37
Speaker
engage in class if you can, because what that means is when you do need some support, when you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, maybe you're unwell, maybe something happens, you know, in your family life and you need some extra support, you're able to reach out and say, look, I'm really struggling with this, but they know you as a person.
00:08:56
Speaker
So they are more likely to see you as a person that then, you know, will require some support. They'll give you, you know, whatever services it is that you need to be directed to, but they'll understand that human aspect rather than just a name on a piece of paper. So I think that's really important to just, they're human, you're human. So just show up, try and build those relationships with your teachers. The other thing is build those relationships with your fellow students, if you can.
00:09:25
Speaker
People who study online, I know, find this a bit of a challenge, but it really, it is achievable. We've proven over the last two years that it is absolutely achievable. The idea is that you, you know, if you're a productive group member, then your friends and your, you know, your co-students will support you if the wheels fall off and, you know, something happens in your family or with your friends and you need some time.
00:09:52
Speaker
you've shown them that you're reliable, so they'll help you out. So it's just that really important reciprocal relationship to build up. And it's also just about being able to mix with different people because
00:10:09
Speaker
They're important skills to build for when you graduate and you're out in the workforce. So you might have gone to a primary school or a secondary school where the kids were mostly like you and the people that you grew up around. Whereas universities are a lovely way to meet people outside of your core socioeconomic group, different language backgrounds, different life experiences. It really broadens your horizons and that makes you more adaptable and more able to cope
00:10:39
Speaker
you know, with the world. So really embrace the difference is what I would say, really embrace the diversity, learn from different people and make some friends, make lots of friends because the thing about university is that often you've chosen the course you've chosen because you have a particular interest in something. So, so do the people you're studying with in a lot of cases. So, you know, they might end up being really, really important people to you. So if you put in the groundwork now,
00:11:09
Speaker
you will really reap those positive benefits. Yes, yeah I totally love that and I definitely think just building like you know professional and good quality relationships all around obviously like in work life and new life and studied life is just so like I guess paramount to like your well-being in a way, like the students well-being and as well for the
00:11:34
Speaker
like the other person that you're trying to connect with. Like you were saying, so you're not just a name or a number. You're actually an other person. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Um, I
Time Management Techniques
00:11:46
Speaker
think.
00:11:46
Speaker
placement is really an important aspect because most degrees, I guess, require you to do placement before you're qualified, like, you know, in teaching and counseling, psychology, even medicine, like the health before you can kind of become a practicing whatever it is, you've got to do that placement. So could you sort of talk to us a little bit about how to find a great placement? And how early do you need to be looking for that?
00:12:12
Speaker
Sure. So obviously, you know, different universities and different courses will have their own protocols around seeking placements. So if you are, you know, somebody who needs to source your own placement, then, you know, the earlier the better. Again, it's about building those relationships as you as a person, not just a name on an email, for example. So if you're able to, you know, introduce yourself in person, if somebody can spend, you know, two minutes with you, if you go up and introduce yourself, that really
00:12:40
Speaker
you know, bodes well for you, you know, shows that you've got that level of confidence and those people skills that are really important. If you are somebody who's lucky enough to have, you know, a placements office or, you know, professional staff at your university who will place you, I suppose what you can do in that case is you are placed, but it's then on you to find out as much as you possibly can about the environment where you will undertake your placement. So it's about not just
00:13:10
Speaker
the functional things like what time you need to be there, where you will park, what sorts of dress code there is, what are the ways of working, they're all important. But also things around the philosophy of the place where you're going, whether there's a vision statement, what's important to the company. So do as much research as you possibly can. Most places have websites now and are quite
00:13:40
Speaker
you know, visible in terms of, you know, whether it be social media platforms or you can find places on, you know, things like LinkedIn. So it's really a good look if you have a lot of information in your back pocket when you turn up to that placement. So that's something that I'd certainly
00:13:57
Speaker
recommend. Something else to remember about placement is it's an extended job interview. It really is. So the second you step onto that placement environment, even if it's not somewhere where you see yourself working or see yourself employed, they will know someone because industries
00:14:17
Speaker
all interconnect and network with each other. So, you know, whilst, you know, you might turn up somewhere and have a really great placement, but there's not going to be a position for you at the end. So they will know someone who might be able to offer you a position. So if you've been, you know, if you've been professional, if you've been engaged, if you've, you know, been a real team player and shown that, you know, you were really there to learn and get the most out of that experience that
00:14:45
Speaker
bodes really well for you in terms of the industry at large, not just that, you know, that place where you found yourself. So just always be as active as you can. Understand that you're a guest on placement, but also understand what role you can play. So, you know, is there a way that you can offer support? Are there things that you're allowed to do within, you know, the jurisdiction of a student? So
00:15:10
Speaker
Find out what those things are and be really active. Be on the front foot and use your initiative. That's something else that I would say. And even if you're feeling nervous and a fish out of water, which of course that's really natural, just try and take a deep breath and understand that those nerves are because you're
00:15:33
Speaker
you know, your body and your mind knows that that's an important experience. So be grateful for that. And also, you know, just really put your best foot forward.
00:15:44
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And I guess also, do you reckon that those sort of like professional relationships with lecturers and professors at uni can also help you get contacts as well if you need to find a placement and they might know someone? Is that something that happens? They sure can. Absolutely. That happens a lot of the time. And, you know, that goes back to my point about knowing who the student is in the first place. So, you know, if I'm going and that actually happens a lot, Mary, that's a good point.
00:16:13
Speaker
If I need to speak to somebody, for example, in a school, you know, a principal contact or friend, I need to be able to advocate for that person. So if you're somebody that's in one of my classes and I don't know who you are, you know, you're not particularly active.
00:16:26
Speaker
Um, you know, or even worse than that, you're not somebody who, you know, engages or somebody who's particularly organized or has, you know, taken the time to build those relationships. Then I won't recommend you. I'll recommend somebody else. So, you know, just, just be aware, um, of that reciprocal relationship because my reputation's on the line in recommending you as well. Yeah, definitely.
00:16:49
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think, yeah, no, that's so true. I never really thought about that before, because you kind of, it actually all kind of comes down to who you know, and who, like that person who knows, you know, knows like the other people and like, etc, etc. Yeah. How do you reckon if, you know, let's say a student didn't have sort of that point of contact with like their professor in a lecture,
00:17:14
Speaker
and they wanted to contact an organization sort of separately, how would they go about that? Like just through an email or a calling up, like how, not like necessarily the process, but I guess what's the first place to start for a good point of contact? Yeah, that's a really good question. And it's a tricky question because whilst we want to be respectful of people's time, so sometimes cold calling, you know, might not get you anywhere. I always think it's nice to start with an email and just say,
00:17:42
Speaker
You know, if it was me, I'd say, my name's Bree. You know, I'm a, you know, second year student studying here. I need to, you know, organize a placement. I'm really interested. Say why you're interested. Don't just send a generic email that you're sending to 50 places and say, you know, I'm wondering if I could, you know, schedule five minutes of your time for a conversation.
00:18:06
Speaker
offer the mode, so offer, you know, a phone conversation or to come in, they may not want that. Email might be enough for them. So it's just about making that initial contact. Um, but also, um, yeah, just making sure that you are, um, really kind of proactive, but also respectful, you know, that it's, that it's about that person's time and that they'd be doing you a favor when you, if you do take up a placement there.
00:18:35
Speaker
For sure. And I love in terms of dress code, I think Pinterest is always a safe bet if you're never quite sure. I know I guess like in like a teaching environment, it's always nice just to go like a neat casual. But do you reckon dress code is always something you should talk about with the placement provider?
00:18:53
Speaker
I think so. And I think that that shows that you're just on the front foot. So you could just, you know, it doesn't have to be an awkward conversation. It could just, you know, be something like, are there protocols, you know, around the way you like your employees to dress? Because often it's about safety. It's not just about the way you look. Often there are other reasons for it and don't assume. So.
00:19:13
Speaker
you know, I, you know, working in lots of schools, there are schools who are really comfortable with denim, you know, as you, as you said, jeans, other schools, it's a hard no. And if you turned up in jeans, that would, you know, that would be showing that, that you really haven't done your homework and that doesn't look good. So it's always worth asking the question and just observe when you get there on the first day, what sorts of, you know, what sorts of things people are wearing and how people are behaving. And that doesn't just go for, um,
00:19:43
Speaker
things like dress, it's also how, you know, people speak, how they dress each other, you know, what time they're getting to work, what time they're going home, you know, what sorts of, you know, things happen in the staff room, for example, do they spend the whole time there? Do they spend part of the time there? So, you know, sort of find a few mentors and sort of try and emanate the way, sorry, emulate the way they operate.
00:20:14
Speaker
I find it also, yeah, no, I really love that Bri. I think something else I found interesting sort of working in sort of a professional environment at a high education Institute. I found that the sort of conversations as well are really important that you need to make sure that when you are on placement, you're not talking about your personal life and it has to be quite generic.
00:20:42
Speaker
doesn't have to be, but it's good to keep it sort of in a professional sort of conversation. Because you know, you're not necessarily friends, you're all acquaintances and colleagues with those people. And I think, especially like online communication and in person communication, I feel as though it should be quite, you know, professional when you shouldn't be sending them, you know, things like XX or love hearts and things like that, because you don't want to overstep your boundary. Even if you know you're related to someone in the
00:21:12
Speaker
workplace or they actually are your friend outside. I feel it's so contact and communication is really important to keep professional. I think that's really great advice. It's about that tone, isn't it? I've seen, unfortunately, a few students who have been a little bit too casual and that hasn't been received particularly well.
00:21:36
Speaker
But to those students' credit, they've come back and said, but that's how the other people at the workplace address each other. And we've had to have that conversation about, yes, but you're not employed at that workplace. You haven't built up the relationships. You don't have the runs on the board, I suppose. So you need to always err on the side of caution and be the most professional version of yourself. And you're exactly right in online communication, digital communication as well as
00:22:01
Speaker
as in person, and that goes for things like respecting people's work hours, not sending emails overnight, for example, and not expecting a response out of hours, maybe not using text messages, even if you have that person's mobile, unless that's what they've asked you to do. That's another important point as well.
00:22:23
Speaker
Yeah, I know for sure. I love that. And just moving on to time management, we did do an episode on our channel with Kate Christie. Would you like to briefly discuss, I guess, your personal method for time management or your like favorite method? And how do you like batch tasks and stuff? Yeah, sure. Yeah, I'm a big Kate Christie fan girl. So, you know, I don't know how much value I can add to what she's already talked about, but certainly for myself, I'm
00:22:53
Speaker
you know, almost finished writing a doctorate, you know, a doctorate of education. So I've got, you know, a significant body of writing, you know, on top of my, um, on top of my work.
Maintaining Physical and Mental Health
00:23:04
Speaker
Um, and also, you know, I've, I've got two little girls at home. So, um, time management for me is I'm a big fan of the Pomodoro method. So that's, you know, 25 minutes at a time and then a five minute break. Um, I use the forest app.
00:23:18
Speaker
for that, so I'm sure you've heard of it, Mary, and lots of your counterparts have, but just for your listeners, it's an app called Forest where you start the app and you're not allowed to touch your phone for 25 minutes or else the tree in the forest dies. So by the end of the day, you've got this really lush, bushy forest or you've got some dead trees in there and it's kind of, it's just interesting how, you know, some people
00:23:47
Speaker
Um, find that the most ridiculous notion and killing a digital tree would make no difference to them whatsoever. But for me, it seems to work. Um, and also I know that if I just focus for that 25 minutes, I know that my brain can cope with that and that there's a, there's a break coming. And it also makes me take that break just for five minutes. And, you know, a break for me is literally just getting up and it might be hanging out some washing or it might be, you know, um, unpacking the dishwasher raw, you know, it's not.
00:24:16
Speaker
It's not that I'm going to lie on the bed or have an actual break, it's just time away from the computer. And then at that half an hour break, so after I've done four 25 minute cycles, that's when I make sure I take an actual break and I don't take that break anywhere near a screen. So I don't use my phone, I don't go on social media, I don't listen to anything, I walk away from my desk. And if I can get a walk in in that half an hour, even if it's just around the block,
00:24:46
Speaker
bonus points if I can get near something green. I'm lucky in my area to live near a lovely creek. So if I can get down there, even just have some time in nature that has a huge impact by the time I get back to my productivity. So another time management is that most important tasks each evening. So what are my three absolute most important tasks for the next day? And I really try and stick
00:25:15
Speaker
at one task until it's finished. And when I say one task, I need to make sure that's an achievable task. So it's not about something that, you know, I'm not going to be able to write a whole chapter of my thesis, but I will be able to write one article, sorry, write one, you know, paragraph on a body of literature, or I might be able to read one research article, you know, and make notes on it, for example. So it's about
00:25:43
Speaker
I think it's the Laura Mae Martin who's the productivity coach at Google actually. Her analogy is to treat any tasks like your clothes dryer. So your clothes dryer at home, when the dryer's finished, you don't go put one sock away and then go and do something else and then do something else and come back and maybe put a T-shirt away. You do it all at once and then you know that task is done. So I try and use that same analogy. I try and stick on one thing because
00:26:13
Speaker
The impact of switching tasks, it's called the switch cost effect is just too great for me when I am doing something. If I've got my email open and it pings and then I get distracted answering an email or even reading that email, even if I don't action it, all of a sudden it takes me too long to get back onto the tasks that I'm doing.
00:26:34
Speaker
So I try and be really kind to myself that I have three most important tasks that must be done and that I stick on one thing at a time with minimal distraction. So that means my phone's right away from me. If I'm not using Forest, then it's in the other room. My email's not on. I'm using a full screen on my computer so I don't have any other distractions, any other apps coming up.
00:26:57
Speaker
So that's something else I do. I probably am really mindful of my chronotype. So a lot of people are like me in that they're fresh in the morning. So it's about batching the most cognitively demanding tasks for early in the morning when my energy is good. So that's where I do my thinking work. And then in the afternoon when I'm getting tired, that's when I might do things like editing or I might answer my emails or I might do interviews like this, for example.
Overcoming Academic Challenges
00:27:26
Speaker
It's sort of the stuff that's not as cognitively demanding and the more you think about that, the better you get at planning the most cognitively demanding tasks when your body's fresh and then being able to work on the less so task. And it might even be a treat for you to put something on the TV and just work through your inbox or just do some things that don't take so much of your energy, your mental energy,
00:27:55
Speaker
later on in the day. How do you sort of keep track of things that you need to do though Bri? Like do you use like to-do lists? Yeah I do use to-do lists. I've also got, so I've always just got a really long to-do list and then from that long weekly to-do list I'm taking my
00:28:14
Speaker
three tasks a day, then I've got what I call pocket tasks. So these are things that I've got written down that I could just pull out of my pocket in action if I get a chance. So they're things like if I'm invited to a meeting and somebody's late and I find myself waiting that I could pull out a pocket task. So to just do something really quick. If I'm waiting for an appointment, for example, you know, I'm at the doctor's or I'm at the dentist and
00:28:41
Speaker
I've got my computer or I've got my phone to make some notes. I know I've got a five minute window there to knock over one of those pocket tasks. And I'm just a really big fan of the brain dump in general. So it's not only work and study tasks I write down, it's all the tasks. So do I have to buy somebody a birthday present? Do I have to reply to an RSVP for a party? Do I have to organize a family function?
00:29:09
Speaker
Do I need to, you know, enroll my, you know, my daughter in basketball for next season, whatever it is, put it down because when it's down there, as small as it is, I cross it off. And it's just, I feel like I'm, you know, I've got a better chance of, of getting across it and not becoming overwhelmed. So yeah, I'm a, I'm a big list maker. I just, I use pen and paper. I just have a big A4 landscape, um, diary sitting on my desk and.
00:29:37
Speaker
I'm literally just crossing things off. So, you know, I know a lot of people use, you know, software like motion where, you know, once they do something, it grows out, it grays out in their calendar. And that, you know, makes a lot of sense too. But for me, yeah, pen and paper suits. Yeah, I definitely agree. I think hard copy to do this as well. I think the best thing, lots of planners nowadays actually incorporate like little to do this on the side.
00:30:04
Speaker
that you can sort of like fill out for the week or the month or whatever. What do you think of digital to-do lists though? Do you think it's worth value or it's kind of each their own sort of thing? I think absolutely it's each their own. I think like anything, like my example with Forest, the app before that works really well for somebody like me, whereas my husband kind of teases me about why I'd be worried about a digital tree on a screen dying, but for some reason. So it's just about finding what works for you.
00:30:33
Speaker
But, you know, I know if you go into places like Kiki K and Kmart and whatever, you know, you can get a really, a nice buzz from some lovely stationery, you know, so that might help keep you on task and productive and might make your desk look lovely. So that's a bonus. Whereas other people are just happy with their laptop and that's all they want. So, you know, if you can, if you can find, you know, great to do list software and, you know, I'm a huge fan of, you know, making voice memos, which then go into my calendar and those sorts of things.
00:31:02
Speaker
anything that works for you and reduces that load on your brain is going to be a win for you.
00:31:12
Speaker
I love that. Yeah. And of course, I guess looking at, you know, studies from a health perspective, it's so easy to get caught up in studying and we can lose track of, you know, maintaining our physical mental health. Like you said, you know, those things are so cognitive demanding, cognitively demanding that they really just drain us.
00:31:34
Speaker
So what sort of things do you do, you know, being a mum of two? Do you sort of make sure to maintain your health and maintain that balance? Sure. Yeah, I do. I am a big fan of exercising in the morning. I just find for myself, you know, that idea of winning the morning and then you win the day. So if I start off, you know, I'm lucky enough to be able to get out of the house at six in the morning and do a workout by the time I get home at six forty five.
00:32:03
Speaker
My energy is high. You know, I've, I've, I've sort of got those feel good hormones pumping and all of a sudden that task is done. So I sort of feel confident about, you know, attacking the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. And it also helps that, you know, getting to late in the afternoon when I'm starting to tire a little bit. I know that I've done that one good thing for my body and I don't have to then
00:32:29
Speaker
fit something else in at the end of the day. So that's a real positive for somebody like me. I try and eat as clean as possible 80% of the time as best as you can. I'm sure you would agree and your listeners would agree that when you are eating as clean as possible, it does make an energy, sorry, it does make a difference to your energy and to your vitality.
00:32:54
Speaker
And something else is water. You know, all of my students are much, much better than me at having their water bottle near them. And just being hydrated or being dehydrated has a huge impact on my cognitive abilities. So it's amazing just, you know, when I've not had enough water, just how foggy and tired I feel. So, you know, it's a really, really simple
00:33:20
Speaker
Um, thing to do, just have your water bottle with you all the time, you know, in your vision so that, so that you're, um, staying hydrated. Um, sleep is, you know, obviously these are all really obvious things, but it's just about scheduling in and making it a priority for yourself. You know, if you value good rest.
00:33:42
Speaker
then if you have the odd late night, that's fine. If you are consistently resting though, your body will thank you for that. And the other thing is, if you're lucky enough to have a really big, great night out with your friends, just understand that you'll probably need some recovery time.
00:34:00
Speaker
the next day or the next couple of days so don't be too hard on yourself you know try and keep those sort of quieter periods if you've got you know a really great event on a Friday or a Saturday night understand that the next day you'll be a bit slow and that's fine but give your body the rest it needs rehydrate and then you know the day after you'll be you know you'll feel back to your best rather than oh my goodness keep pushing keep pushing keep pushing um i think you know just be
00:34:27
Speaker
just be really kind of mindful about what it is that your body needs and listen to your body. And the last thing is I'm not great at it, but when I'm in a good habit of meditation, my stress levels are much more manageable. So that's a do as I say, not as I do, but I just notice if I do make even that five minutes, even if it's just some really deep diaphragmatic breathing, I find I'm able to just cope with
00:34:54
Speaker
with whatever comes up throughout the day a little bit more readily. Yeah, for sure. And I think, especially with your last point, Bri, meditation is so good to help kind of, like you said, reduce stress levels and to avoid burnout, I feel like, as well. You know, you're talking about, like, rest and, you know, after a big night out and don't push yourself too hard. All of that, I think, in the end, really just reduces that chance of, yeah, that massive big crash, that burnout that you get.
00:35:24
Speaker
Um, and I definitely know that I personally experienced that when I was in year 12, I pushed so hard and then I kind of got to uni and I just kept pushing and then I just crashed. Um, cause you know, you just, I never had that point that I stopped and went, you know, look how far I've come. You know, I can take a break now, you know, just like trying to push through exams, et cetera. Um,
00:35:45
Speaker
But I definitely, I know that meditation was just not in my life at that point. Cause I was thinking like, I don't have five minutes just to sit there and breathe. Like I do that when like falling asleep and you know, all that stuff. Um, and I kind of just made all those like excuses. So I think it's definitely something I'm trying to like really incorporate into my life now. Um, yeah, yeah. It's like, because it's so, it's so helpful. Um, and you don't actually realize.
00:36:13
Speaker
how much more at peace you feel after you kind of just sit there for like literally 60 seconds, just making sure every part of your body is relaxed and you just lay on the ground in the sunshine or in your bedroom or wherever. Yeah, I found it's really helpful. So I would highly, highly recommend, yeah. I couldn't agree more. You've inspired me again. I'll get back onto it tonight. I love it. Yes. Just before we finish up, do you have any other like closing comments or anything you want to share with us today?
00:36:43
Speaker
Sure. So a couple of things I suppose just around, you know, related to what we were just talking about, I would really advocate asking for help as soon as the wheels fall off. So, you know, we just have too many students where
00:37:00
Speaker
things snowball and there's almost a sense of denial so you know putting your head in the sand thinking things will get better and then what happens is as you would understand the problem compounds so you know some the wheels fall off you know you're struggling you know maybe with your mental health or there's something going on in your life
00:37:18
Speaker
Then that then affects the next deadline, the next deadline, the next deadline. And then by the time, dominoes. So by the time you do feel strong enough to reach out for help, so much damage has happened that didn't, that didn't need to occur. If you were just brave enough to say, I think I need some support, you know, reach out, ask for an extension, whatever it is that you need, take some time away.
00:37:44
Speaker
Think about what it is that your body needs, maybe you need some help from your GP, whatever it is, but do it as soon as you notice that things are feeling a bit shaky and try not to let that snowball domino compound because problems are a lot easier to fix in their initial stages than when they get further down the track. So I think that's something
00:38:07
Speaker
you know, really, and again, it comes back to that relationships. If one of my students is struggling and I know them and they come up to me and they can look me in the eye and say, Bri, I'm having trouble with this, then I've got a real sense of empathy. I can see the person there. I know exactly who to reach out to to support that person rather than that person just going completely missing. And then we're all, all of the lecturers are saying, has anyone seen this person? And it becomes this kind of big panic because if the problem just became,
00:38:37
Speaker
too big and overwhelmed the students. So definitely, even though it might feel uncomfortable, sing out as soon as things feel a little bit shaky.
00:38:49
Speaker
Um, related to that something or anything doesn't mean everything. So one bad day or one bad mark or one failed exam or one failed assignment doesn't mean everything. It doesn't mean you are a failure. So it is something that happened, but it is not your identity and is not going to be, you know, the forever story that you have. So just try and, you know, when you have a disappointment,
00:39:17
Speaker
Acknowledge it, acknowledge this doesn't feel good. Maybe if there's a lesson in there, maybe you could learn why it happened and then try your best to pick yourself up.
00:39:27
Speaker
and keep going because, you know, just try not have this sweeping mentality of, oh, everything's a disaster because I just like to say everything, anything doesn't mean everything. Something doesn't mean everything. So, yeah. And, and something similar, I say to my students, I heard it, I've heard it from a few different people and I find it really helpful is that don't let perfect be the enemy of good. So don't, you know, expect
00:39:53
Speaker
an essay you're writing, for example, to be absolutely 100% perfect if it's already good. Because if you make that perfect and then you don't have time to get onto the other three things you need to do, well, then that's not a great use of your time and your energy. So don't make everything perfect so that it can't be good. I think that we can apply that to lots of areas of our life.
00:40:24
Speaker
And then the other thing is when you're feeling overwhelmed about anything, my advice is just start. So if you need to write an essay, just write one sentence. And even if that sentence is, I really don't know what to write today. I'm struggling with this essay. It's funny. It's like your fingers will just start putting things down.
Fighting Procrastination
00:40:47
Speaker
And even if it's
00:40:48
Speaker
garbage, it's something because then you've got something to go back and edit. So I would just always say, just start, just start. You know, I heard it once, you know, I'm, I'm writing, you know, 60,000 words at the moment. So, you know, it's a, it's a substantial word count. I like the nifty 350. If I can get to 350 words, then I'm in the groove and anybody can write 350 words, you know, it's a quarter of a page of that. So, you know, I would just really,
00:41:15
Speaker
When you're stressed, when you're overwhelmed, just do something. Just start. And it's amazing how you'll be able to trick your brain and your body into keep going. And if you don't, that's fine. You've done something. So that's just kind of a little tip that I wish somebody had told me back when I was an undergraduate or even when I was in my late secondary years, when you just feel like, oh my God, I don't have time to do all of these things. I'm feeling so overwhelmed. Just pick something and do one thing.
00:41:45
Speaker
And I love that nifty 350. That's like, that's super inspiring. I have to try that. Yeah, I know. I love them. Yeah. It's, it's cool. What I love to do as well is I sort of just take the topic that I want to focus on. Let's just say, for example, it's like World War Two and then I'll just kind of, it's almost like a mind map, but on the Word document. And I'll kind of go also World War Two is related to this, this, this, and this, and this. And then I'll kind of go, oh, and then that's related to this. And then I start writing like,
00:42:14
Speaker
little sentences about everything I want to talk about. And then I sort of have like 14 paragraphs, and then I kind of have to reduce them and cut them down. But it's kind of like a half of a nifty 350, in a way. But it's broken up into all these topic sentences and concluding sentences. Certainly the same philosophy, Mary, because the thing about those 14 sentences is that you'll be then be able to find links between them. So, you know, then you'll be able to say, actually, I don't
00:42:42
Speaker
think that's as relevant. So I'm going to get rid of that. I'm going to flesh this out a bit more. It's amazing. Your brain actually catches onto the momentum and something on a page is better than nothing on a page. And you just be really surprised how your motivation will almost trick itself into continuing. Yeah. No, that's so, so true. Couldn't agree more.
Conclusion and Social Media Reminder
00:43:03
Speaker
Oh, yay. Well, thank you, Bri, for joining us today on the podcast. I think we had some good chats. Yeah, definitely. Welcome. No, thank you. That was awesome. We'll have to have you back on the show again and let us know how your thesis goes. Hopefully all is well. Yes. Oh my goodness. Yes. I'd love to come back one day, Mary. So thank you so much for having me. You're most welcome. Take care. Thank you.
00:43:27
Speaker
Well guys, I thought that was an amazing episode. I definitely got a lot out of it and I hope you did as well. If you are interested in learning more about education, whether you're in secondary or tertiary education, definitely check out our Instagram at allthingseducation21. We've got a lot of helpful advice on there. We also give little sneak peeks into the upcoming episodes. And remember guys, that all the advice that we give on this channel and on our socials is general information only.
00:43:52
Speaker
If you want any advice that is specific to your circumstance, make sure you speak to someone at your school or family or friends because they really know you best and they know how to help you in what's the right pathway for you. Alright guys, thanks so much for tuning in. Don't forget to check out our Instagram and stay tuned for our next episode. Stay educated.