Project Mortgage Neutral Begins

Suffolk_lass

Re energy provider ceasing to trade - That happened to me on 6th December. I was with Yorkshire Energy. Literally yesterday I received an email saying Scottish Power have at last set up my online account so I can put in an up to date reading. I was in credit (ready for winter) and have yet to receive my final bill from YE. The deemed new tariff is not great. I am going to wait until my positive balance has been "transferred" to Scottish Power and them look for a better tariff. I might need to wait for MSE to push for a group one. I found out where I was going from the main news feed on MSE before I heard anything and like you, as soon as I heard I took meter readings (I have dual tariff electricity only here, with no gas). I think we just have to be patient until the dust and administrators are done.

ajmoney

This morning's musings are about my psychology course.  I studied lesson 1 last week, when it came to the end of lesson questions I didn't answer them in the way described in the answers, as in sometimes I didn't give full enough answers etc.  Also I was struggling to remember some of the facts.  I am sure as I go on I will get more used to this but here is my dilemma, do I go over the lesson again, making more comprehensive notes again and try answering the questions again to see how I do or just move on?  I am keen to really get to grips with this early on so my brain finds it easier to process as I go on but also keen not to fuel my perfectionist tendencies which are rife in this kind of thing.  I certainly don't remember this being an issue 25 years ago studying for my exams but maybe that is why distance learning is so different.

I think the note taking is probably a good idea on the first lesson, move onto the second one and see if my answering is better.  That way hopefully my brain will then be processing in an academic way and I can approach the marked assignment a little more positively.  Any thoughts?

Viking_mfw

So there's a thing called the retrieval effect - the more you recall rhe info, the better it goes into long term memory. I would suggest once you've seen the answers do the questions again the next day, and then in a week's time and then again in another week - so after a couple of week's you'll always be revising the last couple of sets as well as doing new material. Testing yourself is _more_ effective than going over the notes again and again. 

ajmoney

Viking_mfw said:

So there's a thing called the retrieval effect - the more you recall rhe info, the better it goes into long term memory. I would suggest once you've seen the answers do the questions again the next day, and then in a week's time and then again in another week - so after a couple of week's you'll always be revising the last couple of sets as well as doing new material. Testing yourself is _more_ effective than going over the notes again and again. 

That is a great suggestion, thank you.  When I have learned stuff for work in the past I have used cards, question/definition etc on one side and answer on the other and use them to test myself, mixing it up by using both sides for the test. 

In the end yesterday I went through lesson 1 again but making notes this time rather than just reading and then completed lesson 2 and the test at the end of it.  I have done 2 of the 3 questions on my first assignment and will do the last one this morning.  It is two weeks earlier than the submission date but I have 2 other courses I am doing/starting next week (I don't do things by halves) and potentially have a busy time coming up at work so I am happy to be slightly ahead.  I think part of the perfectionist problem with the psychology course is at the end of the first lesson it actually says don't move on until you fully understand everything, for someone with my tendencies to "get it all correct" that is not helpful!

So on Monday evening I will be starting a virtual mental health first aid course through the tri club.  I have already do one but it doesn't come with a qualification, this one does and only cost me £14 so I have decided to do it plus I potentially then have the chance to do the next level with him where I can become a supervisor in a team which is what I am already doing at work.  I think it is always good to refresh your skills and it will all be good on this journey of self-discovery I am currently on.

Tuesday-Thursday next week I am doing a coaching and mentoring course (there is a recurring theme with my courses here), I have a couple of pre-learning bits to finish before it starts and then a post course assignment to complete after.  I don't know what this entails but I am going to aim to finish it by the end of next week or I know time will pass, I will forget what I learned and start to panic.  It will also give me the time to get back to the psychology and do any other work for the MH course.

Around all these other things I am currently reading about setting personal boundaries on my journey of discovery.

Money wise (I guess I should put something) I am definitely on target to clear the CC with this month's money even after paying for the MH course so I will be starting February on a clean slate which I really like doing. 

Suffolk_lass

I have found that I need to record the key learning points on cards so I can always go back to them - the panic at the start is that I'm not taking it all in, but reflecting on what the key points are and recording these (sometimes with a thumb-nail example to make it stick) means I can answer assignments using the SEX mnemonic - Situation, explanation eXample

ajmoney

My first assignment has been emailed to my tutor.  I was going round and round in circles with the final question, unsure whether there was enough content, if I was answering the "explain" questions correctly and if any of it was actually right.  In the end I decided just to send it in and see how I get on with it being the first one.  I also said as much to him in my email.  I don't know if it is because a lot of the learning I have done since school has been to a higher level etc but I am sure I didn't get myself this wound up with stuff at school.  I have no idea how long it will take to be marked and returned to me so I will just have to wait and see.  When I applied for the course, based on when I want to do the exam it suggests I should do 3 hours of studying a week to achieve it.  I definitely haven't done that much so depending on the feedback I get I may seek some guidance on that.  I am sure as it progresses more will be required though as this was just an introductory model.  Ha, even with my musings it is easy to see how my mind works and the rabbit warrens it leads me down god help me at exam time!

Next on my job list is to clean my walking boots from Wednesday as they are very muddy.  I really should get into the habit of doing this as soon as I get back from a walk.

ajmoney

My tutor emailed to say he would have a look, mark my assignment as soon as he could and give me some feedback on the question I was struggling with.  It turns out that question was ok, he put some other ways I could have worded it but I got full marks and just got a couple of answers the wrong way round on one of the other ones.  I obviously was obsessing too much as I got 92%, what an idiot I am!  Maybe I will learn to calm down and not worry so much for the next one but we shall see.

I have a list of things to get done over the weekend with a potentially crazy week ahead and have managed everything on today's one. Tomorrow's is a bit longer but is kind of essential to be able to get everything done, so long as I make sure I get plenty of daylight as well all will be fine.  Time to go and grab something to eat before catching up with the girls online at 6.

bubblycrazy

92% is amazing, well done!

Suffolk_lass

Very impressive - you don't want to set the bar too high with the first one... - DH who was told he would never learn a language at school (and speaks fluent German, having lived and worked there) did his German GCSE at the school where he was teaching (another subject) and got the second highest mark in the country  for the exam. The school were very happy - it really made their results look good!

savingholmes

Well done on the 92% that's fabulous.