podcast

10 Good Things About University That Can Also Be Bad (And What You Can Do About it) – TUB-Thump 008

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The stuff you usually think of as good aspects of university can sometimes serve to trip you up.

In Episode 008 of TUB-Thump, I talk about 10 of the positive points that you need to be careful with. Because a lot of freedom needs to be used wisely.

This edition of the show is based on an old post from the blog that looked at the 10 points. If you want a quick reminder from time to time, you can also remind yourself at the original piece:

10 Reasons Why the Benefits of University Can Lead to Downfall

Independence is great; so long as you know you have to take the rough with the smooth. All that responsibility can easily go to your head if you’re not careful!

How do you deal with the new independence?

Here are the show notes for the 16-min episode:

  • 01:30 – Positive/Negative 01: You can choose when you want to do your work.
  • 02:30 – Positive/Negative 02: You can choose how much time you spend on a project/task.
  • 03:30 – Positive/Negative 03: You aren’t fixed to any particular study area.
  • 05:00 – Positive/Negative 04: You aren’t pushed in the same way as you were at school.
  • 06:30 – Positive/Negative 05: You can concentrate on all the things that interest you.
  • 07:40 – Positive/Negative 06: You have the freedom to have as much fun as you like.
  • 08:50 – Positive/Negative 07: You’ve got the scope to develop through all sorts of new activities.
  • 10:10 – Positive/Negative 08: You’re given the tools for independent thought and making your own mind up.
  • 11:20 – Positive/Negative 09: You have enormous scope to network and collaborate with others.
  • 13:20 – Positive/Negative 10: You are given independence from Day One. [Note: Some things are beyond your control and responsibility. I’m talking about the stuff we can make excuses over by latching blame onto others, even though you had the ultimate choice.]

Music for TUB-Thump is Life, by Tobu, which is released under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of Tobu’s great sounds on Soundcloud, YouTube, and his official site.

TUB-Thump is part of the Learning Always Network.

Keep being awesome!

Are You Ignoring Obvious Advice? TUB-Thump 007

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You’ve heard the advice time and time again. It’s easy to ignore it.

So that’s what starts to happen.

We know we *should* be tackling the problem with obvious advice, but that doesn’t mean we always do.

Episode 007 of TUB-Thump takes a quick look at why we need to pause before we ignore that obvious advice.

Here are the show notes for the 4-min episode:

  • All advice is different. And some of it seems obvious. (00:30)
  • Do you follow all obvious advice? Start that assignment straight away, or wait and do an all-nighter? (01:00)
  • Why it’s so hard to make positive moves with obvious advice. (01:40)
  • Before you ignore the obvious advice as obvious, ask yourself how you’re following it. If you’re not, make a plan so you can. (03:00)

Music for TUB-Thump is Life, by Tobu, which is released under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of Tobu’s great sounds on Soundcloud, YouTube, and his official site.

TUB-Thump is part of the Learning Always Network.

Keep being awesome!

Find a Calm Time For Nothing: TUB-Thump 006

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Today’s episode of TUB-Thump is about nothing.

After Monday’s longer episode on essays, you deserve a bit of a break.

Why not make that break a habit?

Because this isn’t just downtime; this is a chance for you to zone out of the continued barrage of ALL THE THINGS. It only takes a few minutes.

Here are the show notes for the 4-min episode:

  • Five minutes to reflect. A time to do nothing and get away from it all. (01:00)
  • Make it a daily practice. It doesn’t matter how long you do it for. Those five minutes could turn into half an hour. What matters is making it a regular habit. (02:00)
  • There are no rules. Just a bit of nothing. You could call it a “power-relax”. (02:30)

Music for TUB-Thump is Life, by Tobu, which is released under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of Tobu’s great sounds on Soundcloud, YouTube, and his official site.

TUB-Thump is part of the Learning Always Network.

Keep being awesome!

Get to Grips With Your Essay Writing: TUB-Thump 005

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I’m talking essays for episode 005 of TUB-Thump.

There’s mixing up the order of your writing, knowing when to stop researching, finding texts that talk to you, and much more on today’s show.

Whether you’ve got weeks until the deadline, or it’s due in a few days, check out these tips and find something that suits you.

Here are the show notes for the 15-min episode:

  • Write in whatever order you like while you draft. (01:10)
  • Keep thinking about how you feel, from the moment you get the assignment to the point of finishing (and reading through). Has your opinion/argument changed? How has it changed? Have you reflected this? (02:30)
  • Know when to stop reading and researching. If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed or you’re going over the same ground, it’s probably time move on. (04:10)
  • Find the clearest, most relevant references that make your point. (05:20)
  • There’s no need to be offended by help. There’s always more to learn. (05:35)
  • Discuss your drafts as you’re going along (07:40)
  • More on telling you to stop doing all-nighters! (08:20)
  • Think critically. Reason and references rule. (10:00)
  • Use/Find your own academic voice. And why the word ‘clever’ doesn’t mean much. (11:10)
  • Bullet-point planning. (12:10)
  • Check out what’s going on at your uni. (12:50)
  • Not all books and texts will talk to you. So don’t stop at one text and simply give up. (13:15)
  • Gaps in your knowledge aren’t weaknesses; they’re challenges. (14:30)

Music for TUB-Thump is Life, by Tobu, which is released under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of Tobu’s great sounds on Soundcloud, YouTube, and his official site.

TUB-Thump is part of the Learning Always Network.

Keep being awesome!