Scroll #1 - How To Control Time

Hey, hey, relax! You know this doesn't literally mean how to "control" time, don't you? Of course we can't control it, well, not anytime near today I suppose. However, as smart IB fighters, we have a way to control time so that we won't lose to the minor enemies (a.k.a the homework and the assignments).

Not familiar with IB and the fight yet? Just read through the introduction by clicking right here.

For your information, I am also a surviving IB fighter (yes, this is the Chamber Master speaking). I am in the verge of fighting the boss, yep, I am in the second year of IBDP. Now, I am seven months away from fighting the ultimate boss (IB final exams). So, I know how it feels to be chased by deadlines and how I overcame them, because I've been there. That is why I want to share this with new IB fighters like you to make your life in IB programme a lot less miserable (did I just say that? No, I mean to make your life a lot more easier).

Back to the time-controlling skills. This simply means to manage the time you have to do school-related work. This scroll #1 is made for you junior IB fighters who want or need to manage your time wisely. Don't worry, it's very easy to read (because it is not rocket science).

1. Take note of the deadline.

Picture taken from: http://www.tooelehighscholarships.org/

A random paranoid IB student: "OMG. The word itself is so scary. Deadline. Line where we will all die."

A random paranoid IB student's face (take note of the extremely huge eyes about to pop out because of paranoia):

Picture taken from: http://blog.personalityone.com

Hold on! Don't be so negative about deadlines. Instead, think far ahead of what benefits you'll receive when you complete the task before deadline.

For example, Biology HL lab report is two more weeks before final submission. It is plenty of time to do. Just a fact based on my experience: It takes one week to finish a good or outstanding lab report (depending on your writing skills), two full days to finish a satisfactory lab report, and just three to five hours to complete a desperate lab report. Therefore, if you still have two weeks time, try to finish the work in the first week. If you only have one week to write the report, try to complete it within two to four days. If the teacher is so inconsiderate they give you only two days to do the work (usually this is not for lab reports, but for homework and assignments), pray that the two to five hours of desperate writing will make you pass. Good news, some people work better when they are under pressure or stress. Who knows you are one of them.

A random skeptical IB student (different from the first one): "Do you mean lab reports can be done in two hours? Um.. and how exactly do we benefit from taking note of the deadline again?"

A random skeptical IB student's face:

Picture taken from: http://www.123rf.com

Yeah, some really gifted IB fighters can type thirteen to fifteen pages of size 12 Arial 1.5 spaced in two hours. It's too bad I wasn't one of them, but I didn't regret because I took note of the deadlines I am facing. Oh, you will benefit from this skill because most of the IB students are lazy brainiacs. Many of them are geniuses, but they do not do their tasks until deadline is very near. That will not make their work optimal. THIS IS YOUR ADVANTAGE. If you are not one of the lazy brainiacs, you can plan your work and do repetition of drafts to ensure a very good work is produced. SO, skill 1 is to take note of the deadline and manage your time wisely.

2. Do revision at least one topic or page a day
I know, I know. IB is so demanding you don't have time to revise because you're given tons of work to do... but, grades are more important, guys. Okay, let's do some maths first.

Take example of Business and Management HL. Your paper 1 exam is worth 40%, paper 2 is 35%, and the remaining 25% is Internal Assessment (IA) combined with other school work. This means revising for paper 1 is crucial for your grade. Even though the percentage of school work and IA is also huge, but 25% comes from so many aspects such as your class tests, quizzes, presentations, and even behaviour in class. So I GUARANTEE YOU, doing a couple satisfactory work will be just fine for this 25%, if you feel you can't handle the work. What I am trying to say is, your revision for major tests are more important. You need to prepare your best, don't you?

I'M TELLING YOU, THIS IS THE KEY, GUYS. My senior used to revise and practice from past papers everyday at least for 2 hours. The result? He got IB 45! I know it's really hard for procrastinators like us, but don't worry! I've tried the one-day-one-page method and it works for me because I can still do my homework after I revise on the same night, so I suggest you to try too!

3. CHILL OUT.
Yeah, guys. Have some of these chill pills.



Pictures taken from: uncle google

Okay, okay, that's a bit exaggerated. What I meant was to relax and don't hit the ceiling too often, you know? Just chill. You want time to slow down? You should feel relax first and befriend the time. Let's take a look at some common situations an IB fighter will experience one point in their lives.

Situation 1: You complain and stress about not finishing the lab reports two hours before final submission.

If you don't take the chill pill: "OH MY GOD I HAVEN'T FINISHED MY LAB REPORT AND IT'S DUE AFTER SCHOOL. WHAT DO I DO? MY TEACHER'S SO GOING TO KILL ME. ARGHRH WHY DO I TAKE IB? IB LIFE IS REALLY HARD I GIVE UP ON EVERYTHING AND BLA BLA BLA BLA....."
Result: work is not done because the student was busy venting anger for two hours that the student forgot to finish the work. pathetic.

But if you take the chill pill: "Oh, I still got two hours before final submission and I just started methodology! I think I should drink first to hydrate myself so I can concentrate to do the work and submit whatever I have on time. It's okay, it's my fault not finishing the work before deadline, so... I'll just do my best now!"
Result: work is done, even though it didn't reach some requirements but still pass.

Situation 2: You have a test tomorrow but you also have homework from another subject due tomorrow.

If you don't take the chill pill: "I AM SO DEAD. CAN'T THE TEACHERS KNOW THAT I STRUGGLE? CAN'T THEY JUST POSTPONE THE TEST BECAUSE I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE? THIS WILL SURELY AFFECT MY MENTAL HEALTH, SERIOUSLY."
Result: work is done, but did not study and test result is not satisfying.

If you take the chill pill: "Hmm... I have a test and a homework at the same day tomorrow. According to http://ibchamber.blogspot.com I should prioritize my grades first, right? Okay. Now I'm going to study for the test first until I get some grip of it. Then, if I have time (whoa thank goodness I still have the whole night to study and do homework) I will start doing the homework. If it's not done, I'll just continue tomorrow because I don't want to sacrifice my sleep."
Result: study enough to pass the test and even to give satisfying result, finish homework few minutes before final submission.

If you take too much chill pill: "Hmm... I have a test and a homework at the same day tomorrow. Ooh my favorite TV show is releasing the new episode tonight. I should watch. The studies can wait."
Result: work is not done, test result is not satisfying.

Are there any situation mentioned above that resembles you more? Are you a time-controller or not? Whatever the result may be, PLEASE DON'T TAKE TOO MUCH CHILL PILL. It won't help you to relax and think through, it will just make you too ignorant of the consequences.

-THAT'S THE END OF SCROLL #1-

BY THIS TIME YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
1. Take note of the deadlines given by teachers or by IB.
2. Implement one-day-one-page revision style.
3. Take enough chill pills everyday.

More scrolls coming up, so prepare to increase your skill and levels to beat up the IB intellectually! (did I just say that? Yes, I did).