Friday, March 6, 2015

Balancing College Student Life

Balancing work and classes
So, I think it is important to remember that as a college student life can get pretty hectic. I think that it’s completely inevitable. When it’s only February, your least favorite teacher just gave you a pop quiz, and your room is starting to look like a storage room, it might be time for a little self TLS. (Tender Loving Spoiling) It’s something I made up, but it’s starting to sound better and better, the more I look at it.

I know that I, personally, am at the point in the semester when I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed. My 22 credits are all throwing quizzes, projects, and blog entries all at once. And I can’t necessarily stay up until 2:00 a.m. working on all of these assignments, because my internship (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) starts at 8:00 a.m.

This is where having your life in order (or as much as possible) 
comes in.

So here are my tips for trying to keep up with the crazy thing we call student involvement. Ideally, keeping all of these in check is a healthy balance, because they act like a cycle that feeds into each other!

Organization is the most important. You can easily spend unnecessary amounts of time trying to find a document you misplaced, or a shirt that may or may not be in the hamper that you are required to wear as part of a uniform for a club or group. Keeping all of your spaces neat, tidy, and organized cuts back of a lot of time because you will know where everything is and it will take less time to find any item you need!

Don’t forget to sleep! Nothing good can ever come from lack of sleep. When you take the time to get plenty of sleep, or at least a substantial amount of sleep, it works wonders for your body! You will feel more refreshed when you are out and about, not to mention you will be more efficient and energized!

Time management is crucial. With 22 credits and an internship, I can’t let my work and busy schedule get the best of me. I know that during the week, like most students, there are multiple “balls in the air” that we are responsible for juggling. It is important to make sure that when you have time, you manage it to the best of your ability. If there is an hour between classes, if you have, for example, a blog post, that is something you could easily complete in that time!

Katie's birthday dessert
This was the dessert I had
on my birthday!
You do need time to relax and pamper yourself every once in awhile, maybe even a little more frequently. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been extremely stressed and I feel like I am going to rip my hair out! To calm myself down, I put an hour aside to just take a nice hot shower. Try something like that! Or maybe eat some sweets or another food you like!  Girls, consider putting a half hour or so aside to straighten your hair, curl it, or even do your make up. Take some time to focus on YOU, in contrast to taking on the whole world’s problems. Luckily, I am able to manage my time well enough that I can put aside an hour or two to just relax.

Remember that each of these, if completed correctly, help each other. More sleep increases productivity, which allows you to multitask better, and in turn, that gives you some extra time that you can use to spoil yourself.

- Katie



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