How I (try to) balance school and life
As I enter my last semester as a college student, it’s time to look back at the past four years and what I have accomplished. When I reflect, I wonder… how did I have time to get it all done? I have been on a dance team all four years and captain for two of those years. I have had a full course load while working multiple jobs. On top of my responsibilities, I made time for my social life and spent a lot of time with my friends.
I am not going to lie and say it has been sunshine and rainbows. I have had the occasional freakout that I had too much on my plate. There were definitely some late nights to make sure I accomplished everything I wanted to. I am writing this blog to share some tips I have learned over my time as a college student with multiple responsibilities and goals.
A planner is my best friend
I have been filling out a planner since I can remember. Writing down all my tasks and assignments has always been one of the first things I do everyday. Seeing all my tasks laid out is the only way I can start my day and ensure nothing slips my mind. Hannah Braime wrote an article for lifehack.org titled How Writing Things Down Can Change Your Life. She discusses some of the most important aspects of making to-do lists. The main positive is that “writing down every ‘to-do’ item you can think of clears space in your head for more important topics” (Braime). When you write everything out, you do not need to waste time trying to remember what you are responsible for. Writing it down also makes me more committed to getting it done. It not only makes me more focused but “it can also help us stay accountable” (Braime). Seeing a goal in front of me makes me more motivated to check it off my list. Checking things off my list is also a feeling of achievement. Seeing a completed to-do list is one of the highlights of my day, as boring as that sounds.
Ranking by priority
Seeing everything written also plays a role in prioritizing what to do first. Brent Barnhart wrote an article, How to prioritize tasks (and stop getting crush by your workload, for teamwork.com. A key message in the article is, “rushing to hit deadlines and meet arbitrary milestones isn’t just a bad look for you: often results in sloppy work” (Barnhart). To be sure you are not overwhelming yourself, you should plan to work on what is most important first. Some key questions when deciding what should be prioritized are:
“Who does this impact?
What is the reward or outcome of completing this task?
What is the risk of not completing the task?” (Barnhart).
By answering these questions you can focus on the essential assignments and not feel burnt out trying to get everything done quickly.
It’s going to be okay
Whenever I have gotten stressed looking at a very long to-do list, I tend to vent to my roommates. Talking about everything instead of letting my head get flustered is an outlet for my stress. Something my roommate says to me is “everything always gets done.” She always reminds me of all of the other assignments I have felt overwhelmed with that I completed that I do not even think about anymore. It is important to look at the bigger picture.
Hi, I’m Lauren and welcome to my website! This is where I share my graphic design work and blog posts!
