So having a newborn in my house has severely limited the amount of free time I have, that an of course sleep.  Also I’m trying to study up on my PMP stuff, so I’m trying to devise a system of short study bursts that allow me to read and retain the maximum amount of information for the minimum amount of time invested.  I looked for articles on the subject and so far I’m drawing a goose egg.  I know from experience that my typical study sessions need to be not more than an hour with a half hour being ideal for the maximum amount of retention. I then mark my notes for a quick reference later and ultimately prepare in learning the material as if I were going to have to teach a class on it complete with original examples.

So I’m thinking of parsing things down even further to harness the little bursts of energy I have, when I have them.  I thought about this tonight when I decided to play some guitar, something I generally love and only had the attention span and energy to do it for about 10 minutes before I wanted to do something less mentally demanding.  So I think I’ll shoot for 6, 10 minute sessions tomorrow and how much I get done and what’s more, retain at the end of the day. 10 minutes isn’t much so I’ll build up from there, maybe to 15 minutes but who knows, trial and error, it’s not like I have a deadline on the PMP.

So here’s the plan.

1.)    Gather all study materials and lay them out in an easy to find and organized manner, as if I were about to sit down and study for a nice, long time.

2.)    Find the place in my book where I want to start and find the place where I want to ultimately end for the day.

3.)    Lay everything out and walk away.  When I get a burst of energy or happen to have the time I’ll sit down, pound out 10 minutes of focused study and note taking for a minimum of 10 minutes and not more than minutes.

4.)    At the end of the day I’ll reference my notes and try to recite them from memory and see how much I’ve retained.

5.)    Report back here in the next few days to see if my method works.

How’s that sound?

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I have had multiple people email me over the last couple of months asking if I recommend Bellevue University.  Well here’s the thing, yes I do and no I do not.  See I cannot really recommend a particular school, any school without knowing more about the person asking, why they want the degree and of course what their priorities and needs are.  It’s just not possible for me to ever do that in good faith without that basic amount of knowledge.  For me Bellevue had the right program, the right curriculum and for the right price.  It was a combination of factors that made Bellevue the right choice for me, having said that I have enjoyed my experience at Bellevue thus far and do not regret my decision even a little bit. 

For me there was the starting point of price, simply put if I couldn’t afford the program then all of the rest of the criteria would be a moot point.  Secondly I wanted a regionally accredited degree program, this was non-negotiable for me as at the point I’ve arrived at with my career a regionally accredited degree is really the only thing that would have moved me to the next level (potentially) due in large part to the corporate environment that I currently find myself in.  Third I needed a course curriculum that was in line with my current job responsibilities and something that would broaden my understanding of information systems, something I desperately needed and still need.  Fourth I wanted to work with a school that had an emphasis in project management and finally a school that was experienced and robust in their online offerings.  After my experience with Western New Mexico University, I didn’t want to feel like a side project or an afterthought. 

So my criteria may be different than that of other people’s and to a point I recommend schools based on need, not based on the school itself.  There is no one college or university that is right for everyone only the one that’s right for you, assuming of course that college is right for you which is a different matter entirely.

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Yesterday at 2:46pm Central Time my baby girl was born into this world.  My wife of course did all the work and I mostly cheered her on and generally got in the way but however it went down, our daughter finally made it into this world healthy and intact.  This changes the whole dynamic of being a student and working professional.  I’m not really sure what changes are coming or how I will learn to work around these new demands but rest assured I’ll write about what I discover here.

Now on to the important details, she has red hair, weighs 7.5 pounds and is 19.25 inches long.  She’s asleep next to my wife as I write this in the hospital room we’re staying in.  Remember all those months back when I was working on my MBA and thinking about giving up but decided to stick it out for the sake of my “future” family?  Well that “future” has become the “present” and I can unequivocally say that all the hard work, all the late hours, all the frustration and all of the lost sleep was well worth it to be able to provide the best life I can for my wife and this beautiful new little girl. 

I’ve already started thinking about what colleges I’d like her to go to and though it’s entirely her decision, I think nothing would make me happier than to see her get her undergrad degree from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.  It’s not just because of the school, though the school is great it’s also the town that the school is in.  The whole town looks like a post card of Mayberry (from the Andy Griffith Show) and the whole town revolves around “the college on the hill” (what many of the townspeople call Southwestern).  So maybe I’ve got a little Moundbuilder making infant sounds near me, maybe not.  Either way I do know that the choices I’ve made as a student and professional over the last 4 years are now going to impact the choices I can offer as father to my daughter someday, when she’s ready.

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