I really wanted to spend today with Mom, but I realized that I needed to prepare for the start of school. My mom (being an absolutely cool and wonderful mom) went ahead with her plans to visit the zoo with one of the Canadians we hosted three years ago, and I spent the day going through my high-priority tasks.

Planner really helped keep me on track. I started the day by listing all of the things I needed to do in order to prepare for the next two days. I arranged them so that I'd be doing related things together, and I set times. Then I just plowed through the tasks. Fun!

Some thoughts:

- I need an audio timer. I can probably use my computer for this.

Extra points if I can get it to automatically pick up the details from my planner page. This might be good for remind or appt.el...

- Suggested review questions are very good for active reading.

Unfortunately, my enggpsych text doesn't have them. I currently write down my notes on an index card and re-encode them as part of a mindmap. I should write myself review questions for flashcard-style or fill-in-the-blanks reviews.

- As a teaching assistant, I can skim the text looking for important

points. I don't need to score 100% on tests. I just need to find ideas to tie into lab exercises.

- I'm running into some problems with my Toastmasters speech on

introductions. I initially imagined it with a strong personal-coaching slant, plenty of passion, that sort of delivery. Thinking about it a bit more, though, I don't think I should sell the idea so strongly, given the fact that the audience is older and more experienced than I am. I'm currently favoring an advice-seeking approach telling my own story instead of focusing on what people should do.

- I should work on finding a note-taking style that fits me. I'm

moving away from paper again because my 8.5"x11" binder is a bit too big and heavy. I _might_ use index cards to capture diagrams and notes that I can't easily describe.