Donna Wilkinson

TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!!

After having spent a full day trying to do work and wasting my time completely, I have decided to step back and analyze where it is I’m going wrong.

I have a large pile of papers and books laid out on my bed as well as loads of documents open ready to use as reference on my computer.

Handbook

Guidance notes

Course Diary

To do list

Recommended reading: doing you’re research project

Campus session notes

Blog articles

Every time I try and read and go over the information in these texts I get distracted or confused, were supposed to take information from each one, but they all have so much information to give how do I know where to start?

With the book on “how to do you’re research project” as tremendously helpful as it is, is the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to read. I love books, however I have tried to get it out on the tube, train, bus, at home, in the bath and basically every possible moment I would usually be reading my normal book and just end up staring endlessly at something and doing no reading, then I’ll try and move on to the handbook by which time all my will power has disintegrated.

I NEED A SOLUTION!

I have decided to put a stop to this!

I sat down with a highlighter and my laptop open to write any notes, page numbers and information I would later need to reference from.

In a word document I created a list of things that needed doing and subjects on which I had information and linked it to the location, page numbers and digital links of where I could find the information resource and help tied to it.

· What my portfolio should contain by the end.

· Activities that need doing.

· Information on all the documents that need handing in.

· Useful link and resources.

· List of tools and methods that will help me.

Having done something as simple as this which only took me a couple of hours at most has made a massive difference; now I don’t have to search though pages and pages of information to find what I want every time I do some university work.

As a conclusion I think that sometimes taking a couple of hours to make sense of all the tools and information you have at your disposition can save a lot of time and frustration at a later time.

How can you begin to have inspiration on research methods and ideas when you can’t even make sense of what exactly it is you’re supposed to be doing?!