Time Strategies

I've found that one of the most important time management strategies is the word "no." This is certainly no easy task, and one I was only regularly able to start implementing last semester.

I am a firm believer that you make time for what's most important in your life. This is touched on in The Myth of "Too Busy," in which the author, Tim Grahl, points out that you must prioritize what is the most important thing to you. This may change from time to time, as Grahl mentions, if there is something big going on in your family, your other responsibilities may slide, or if a big project is due in one class, you may neglect the others. Sometimes you need to say no to certain things to be able to succeed in others, and there's nothing wrong with that. It is not fair to yourself or your obligations if you take on too many things, because then you will be overworked and produce less than your best results in every situation. It's more important to do well in a few things than below average in many. 

By all means, I'm not saying to throw out all your obligations and just focus on doing one thing. That's unrealistic. I've had to prioritize what is most important in my life right now and make those my main focus. Within that, I do a lot of scheduling. During busy weeks, I literally plan every hour to make sure that I am driven and focused on a goal. Within this schedule, I also plan some relaxing time for myself to be alone (any other introverts reading this?) as well as time to maintain my relationships. You can read more about the importance of scheduling in this article, which discusses habits of unsuccessful people. There is no one way to be successful, but there sure are specific ways to be unsuccessful, which the article discusses in further detail. 

(My favorite method of keeping track of my to-do list and goals is handwriting them in a planner; Web Source)

This semester, I plan to continue on saying "no" to things I can't put my entire focus into and making sure that I am reaching my highest potential in the tasks I do take on. I won't go into the details here, but I plan on using every day fully to be effective in school, my sorority, and my relationships. 

Tangled in Technology

I often joke about being a failed millennial because I can't do a ton of fancy stuff with technology or make beautiful things on the computer. However, I don't think I give myself enough credit, because I generally can figure out most things when it comes to technology. It might require some research on my part and tinkering around with things, but I usually can get it done. I always get excited if I am able to figure something out especially if I can explain it to others. I find myself spending a lot of time trying to learn how to do something solely to help one of my friends or family members with it. 

(Doctor Who meme found on imgflip)

When looking at the list for the class, I am familiar with a few things like simple image editing, exploring blogs, and Google Docs. I haven't had a lot of experience with creating blogs, making graphics, or publishing websites. With every post I seem to be getting a bit more capable at using the Blogger site and I've got most of the basics down now, but I'm hoping to expand my knowledge both with blogging and the other things I've never done. I'm probably most nervous for publishing a website for the class projects, as this seems like a really daunting task. I keep telling myself, though, that making a blog also seemed really daunting and I seem to be doing alright at that.

I'm excited to learn how to use new tools that will be helpful far past my days in college!

Reaction to Assignments

I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated by the assignment list for this class. It's not necessarily the amount of assignments, because I'm used to devoting a lot more time than 6 hours a week to my classes, but more the type of assignments that makes me nervous. I'm very logic driven and, while I can be creative, it isn't really my comfort zone. 

One of the main reasons I chose to take this class is because I love reading, but don't get a lot of time to do it during the semester. I wanted to give myself a chance to read things other than textbooks and not feel guilty about it, since I would be doing it for a class. On that note, I'm super excited about reading stories I don't know anything about and being exposed to a new culture. Just about everything else scares me, as I'm used to a very set structure of lectures and exams. Telling stories and blogging to integrate information is a whole new realm. However, as we looked at yesterday, it's okay to not be good at everything and to not know everything. The assignments are certainly going to have me branching out and exploring things I never have, which is an exciting prospect. I also think it's really cool how the class is formatted so that I can set my schedule and can lessen the load in this class when other classes may be piling on the exams. 

(Meme I created using a meme generator)

Exploring Growth Mindset

A quote that always makes me smile to myself and puts a little more umph in my step is from Thomas Edison, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Edison is not concerned with what has gone wrong and is not limiting himself by what he hasn't perfected, but is ready to persevere, or as Carol Dweck would say, he's focusing on yet. 

I hadn't heard of Dweck prior to this assignment, but I am encouraged by her focus on what is to come. I think that in high school, I certainly had a fixed-mindset. My sole goal was to get perfect grades, be valedictorian, and get into the school of my dreams. However, I did those things and was unhappy still. It wasn't until I came to OU and began focusing on the opportunities out there, both in school and out of school, that I realized there is so much more to life than perfectly understanding everything. If I knew how everything worked and was never challenged, how boring would that be?

I would be lying to say that I'm thrilled that I don't understand everything in my classes, that fact still scares me sometimes, but I've been working on myself to be excited about what I don't know. Just yesterday, I sat through the introduction of my Animal Development lab and grew overwhelmingly concerned as they explained that throughout the semester each group would pick a gene of focus in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) and try to figure out what it's purpose is. The catch is, most of these genes have never been studied before. As I sat in panic for a bit, I realized the opportunity that is there. By working with something I've never done, and possibly nobody has, I am going to learn so much more about biology than just doing a fixed lab every week where I could easily google what's going to happen. After watching these videos with Dweck, I grew even more intrigued as I thought about the possibility. It is likely that I will be overwhelmingly challenged this semester in that lab, but I will learn and the possibilities are endless.

(A meme that I hope to embody this semester! Web source)

Introduction to a Soon to be Grad!

Hello there!

My name is Baylie Locke and I'm a senior biology major here at the University of Oklahoma. The plan is to graduate this spring, so here's hoping that that stays put! My ultimate goal is to be a veterinarian with a focus in marine animals, but that's a bit down the road. I am currently waiting for responses from a few different vet schools I applied to, and I'm hoping to start at one this fall.

In the meantime, I work at an animal hospital here in Norman as a veterinary technician and I love my job! Getting to interact with the animals is obviously the best part, but my job isn't all puppies and kittens like most people assume. It's tough work and can really take a toll on you, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I myself do have a dog named Lily, she's a Cocker spaniel who I love with my whole heart. I think she actually believes she is a human, her personality is so striking and she will sit up on the couch and watch TV or movies with us, barking when something exciting is going down.

(Lily watching Supernatural with me)

I am the chaplain for my sorority, Sigma Phi Lambda, which is my main time consumer. I love getting to know the girls and being able to meet with them where they are as we grow together. I'm a super shy person and would have laughed if you told me I was going to be an officer this time last year, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm so glad that I followed what God was wanting from me in this time, as I feel it's really shaped this year for me and has given me such room to grow. 

I love to read when I get time, I am currently rereading the Harry Potter series. I don't often reread books, so you know that if you see me reading it more than once that it's one of my favorites. I also really enjoy superheroes, Doctor Who, and pretty much the majority of other science-fiction fandoms you can come up with. I take pride in the fact that I am now roping my little sister, Cheyanne, into also enjoying these things. I think she first started watching the shows and movies with me solely to be like me, but now she's starting to genuinely like them herself which I think is really cool! If I'm not doing schoolwork or working on something for Phi Lamb, I am likely with Cheyanne (she is my favorite person, after all), cherishing the bit of time with her I have left living at home in Norman. 

(Cheyanne relishing the warmer weather of months past)

That brings me to the fact that I do live at home, which is super convenient and helpful, although this is definitely not where I'm originally from. I've lived in nine different places, but I did most of my growing up in Farmington, New Mexico. My first year of college, my family moved to Norman and I went off to school in North Carolina. I ended up not finding my place at the university and transferred to OU, which has become my home. My family has always been OU fans, and I think I was meant to end up here, I just had to take my own detour first!

(A couple friends and me in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl before things got sad)

Three Favorite Storybooks

To be honest, I have no prior knowledge of Indian epics, so most of the things I've seen in regards to this class have been completely new to me. I've recognized some names of the gods, but reading about their stories and personalities through the different storybooks has been a whole new experience. It was hard for me to pick three favorites of the Storybooks, because they were all so interesting and well told, but here are three that caught my eye!

(Haunted Mansion in Disney World; Web Source)

The first story that appeared on my screen also happened to be my favorite of all the ones I looked at! It was The House to a Wife of Many, which told an intriguing story about a grand house and its mysterious inhabitants of generations past. The creator of this Storybook crafted her own story, and tied it back to Indian Epics in the author's notes at the end of each section, explaining how the story of Betsy was based on the epics of India, including the gods themselves, principles of karma, and other facets of Indian culture. I liked the incorporation of a journal as a storytelling feature, and the layout of these sections helped me understand how to follow the story. 

(Hogwarts Classroom; Web Source)

The next Storybook I found interesting was Hogwarts: The Loyalty of Brothers. I am a big fan of Harry Potter, so the title drew me into this story, but the storytelling kept me interested in discovering more about the brothers who defeated Lord Ravana and the fate of the students who would have to face him again. I really liked the layout of this page, with the large pictures and different interactive features allowing you to feel immersed in the story as you follow along with the adventures of the students. I think that I would also like to incorporate more interactive features into my stories to allow readers to relate more and place themselves within the narrative.

(Group Therapy Session; Web Source)

The third Storybook I really enjoyed was Character Therapy, which took a really neat approach to telling the stories of four different women in Indian Epics by having representations of their character attend group therapy, where stories similar to their own were told and their reactions were viewed from an outside perspective. I thought this telling made the story easy to follow and was an interesting way to look at how the characters in the stories may react to their own tales and fates. I thought the format of the page was also really neat, with it all appearing to be written on notebook paper. This incorporation of the theme throughout helped tie the story together I thought, and something like this may be useful for my own project!

Beaches Galore...My Favorite Places

My two favorite places both revolve around the beach, as my Dad was in the Navy growing up. My goal is to get back to the beach, wherever that takes me!

Honolulu, Hawaii. I was born in Honolulu and have always been so drawn to its beauty and captivating scenes. I likely would not live here again since it is so tourist driven, but I would love to visit again soon! I could see myself living in one of the less touristy areas of Hawaii if I ever get the opportunity to move back there!

(The city skyline of Honolulu: photo by Edmund Garman)

Nags Head North Carolina. I lived in Virginia for most of my childhood, and the Outer Banks was my favorite place to go. We generally visited Nags Head, and I loved the beach town vibe and being able to hear the waves from where we stayed. Some of my fondest memories occurred here!

(Looking out from a balcony in Nags Head: photo by Trader Scott)