Managing Your Time

Knowing how to manage your time is a key component of a successful college career. College is a place where you’re likely to have your hands on a bunch of stuff at the same time and, to be honest, it can be really stressful most of the time. This is why knowing how to manage your time will make your workload seem less stressful and you will feel 
more at easy when completing all of your work.

Here are some tips on how to manage your time:

Make a list!

Organizing your work is really important. Having a planner or even using your phone’s calendar can be very helpful in reminding you of due dates. If you have a several things due on the same day, try to order them according to difficulty. The earlier you’re done with those troublesome tasks, the less stressed you’re going to feel as the due date closes in!

Keep your work with you.

It is really nice to get some work done on your assignments whenever you find some free time during the day.

Know what time works best for you.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Knowing at what time of the day you work best is really important. Try to find out at what time of day you are the most productive and able to focus.

Say no to procrastination!

If you want to finish your work on time, you need to put aside all possible distractions that could get between you and your work. I know that checking Facebook, Instagram, or even staring at the wall can be more exciting than doing your homework sometimes. The best thing you can do is turn off your phone and find a place in which you can work easily without any distractions.

Take a break.

If you feel overwhelmed and/or unable to do your work, STOP! Put your books aside and rest for a while. Doing your work is important, but if you don’t feel capable of doing it and you push yourself to do it for the sake of finishing it, you and your work will suffer. So, take a break, go for a walk, or eat something. Let those brain juices flow and bring those new ideas to you!

Until Next Time!

Diana :)

Reference:

"8 Ways to Take Control of Your Time - High School and College." 8 Ways to Take Control of Your Time - High School and College. The College Board, n.d. Web. 20 February 2015.

An Element of Fun

“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.” 

–Mary Poppins

           

Just like Mary Poppins said, there can be a bright side to everything that has to be done. It is not always about just getting things done. Whether it is finishing homework, working a part time job, or just cleaning up your room, you can always make fun a part of it.

When doing homework or studying for a quiz, you can team up with a friend and break away from your usual routine. You can quiz each other on the material at hand and interact. At work you can decide to smile at everyone you encounter to see who might smile back or to just make someone’s day a little better. While cleaning your room, you could sing to your favorite songs or if you like basketball, like me, shoot some hoops into the laundry basket or trashcan. Whatever the task may be, something positive can always come out of it.

This past weekend, I was able to perform at City Light shelter with the youth group from church. Seeing how our songs and worship dance brought smiles to the audience’s faces was a great blessing. We sang with them, ate with them, smiled with them, and were able to listen to their stories. I had a lot of fun while being able to help others out.

The worship dance

Having fun while doing anything does not only cheer you up, but allows the happiness to flow to others as well. So next time you are working on something, remember to have some fun and enjoy it.

Until Next Time,

Melissa

Tips to Relieving Stress in College

From 100 question exams to 6-page papers, the college life tends to be stressful and overwhelming at times. Stress plays a huge role in how well you do your schoolwork. Overcoming this stress is a mystery that most college students cannot solve. This blog entry is a guide for you to follow so that stress can be resolved as you progress in this semester.

There are three main areas you need to focus on when reducing stress in college. The first is the most cherished thing of a college student’s life… sleep! Studying all night for an exam or cramming in a paper is an easy way to increase stress levels. Everybody should get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Those couple extra hours of sleep can work wonders when it comes to stress levels.

The second main area of focus is eating well. I know that it is tempting to go to Taco Bell or McDonalds every day, but that is not helping your stress levels. Eating three healthy meals a day can increase your energy, which can lead to a more efficient completion of schoolwork. Having the energy to get your work done will greatly decrease your stress levels.

The final area to focus on when reducing stress levels is exercising. I know how easy it is to marathon a season of Breaking Bad every day, but that is not helping your stress levels at all. Exercising regularly can help relieve your mind and, of course, reduce your stress levels.

So the next time you are chowing down on a double cheeseburger or heading to bed at 5 a.m., remember that the best way to reduce your stress is to get enough sleep, eat appropriately, and exercise often. Your semester will be much easier to handle if you follow these stress-relieving tips.

- Justin Smith

Life Lessons You Learn in College

1. Responsibility. 

As soon as your parents leave your dorm room on move-in day, the responsibility is entirely on you. You decide if you are going to class. You decide if you are going to complete your homework. And you decide if you are going to do well in your classes. The responsibility of every decision is yours, but it is whether you make the appropriate one.

2. Take advantage of your resources. 

In college, there are endless different types of resources that you are able to use. Here at Berks, we have the Writing Center, Learning Center, Career Services, Student Tutoring, and professor’s office hours. Not all colleges have these opportunities, so it is extremely important to take advantage of these. They will not only help you connect with the campus more, but they will also help you do well in your classes.

3. Time management. 

No one truly knows time management until they experience college. You have classes, homework, clubs/activities, sports, studying, sleeping, socializing and eating all to make time for. At college, you learn how to manage this time and how to prioritize all of your activities. Life is asking a lot of you, but if you master your time management skills, you will do well in college.

4. Don’t be afraid to fail. 

Henry Ford once said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” Every single person fails at one thing in their life. It might be a math class here at Berks, or your driver’s license test that you took years ago. Failing is how we learn and grow in order to succeed the next time. It’s like the saying “fall seven times, get up eight.” Sometimes being successful takes longer than we expect, but it is truly not failure if we learn from it. 

5. Take pictures. 

Every moment you share with your friends, your roommates, and your peers, take millions of pictures because that moment will only happen once. College is only four short years, and it is the best time of your life. After I graduated high school, my family would always tell me to cherish every moment, good or bad, because your college days only happen once. So here are some of my moments.

Until next time Penn Staters,

Caroline