Student Blog: Mid-Semester Tools for Success

Happy March everyone! It's so hard to believe that we are already three months into the year and halfway through the semester. March marks one of the busiest times of spring semester and I'm counting down the days until spring break. My spring break plans include sleeping, sleeping, and more sleeping. There's only one more week to go (so close, yet so far), which is a little daunting considering how much I still need to get done before then...

Managing school, extracurriculars, and social life is no easy task. I feel like lately most of my social interactions have come in the form of study dates, but I guess that's just a side effect of midterms season.

Lately, I have been really trying to make a conscious effort to find tools that make this busy time a little more calm. One that's really helped prevent me from getting overwhelmed by my terrifying Ever Growing Monster To-Do List is breaking down my assignments and projects into smaller, more digestible, day-to-day chunks. Iv'e discovered that breaking assignments up into more manageable pieces and just focusing on a little bit every day not only takes off some of the stress, but also allows me to produce better quality work, since I'm just concentrating on one component at a time.

Another tool that I have recently grown to love is making time for some kind of movement. I've discovered that the longer I sit, the less productive I get. One of the classes I'm taking this semester is Jazz Dance, which meets twice a week for an hour and a half. Having this time to exercise and just move carved into my schedule is really great. On the days I don't have dance, I try to make time to engage in some sort of movement, whether that's going to the gym, taking stretch breaks, or going on walks around campus. Anything to help clear my head!

As far as balancing extracurriculars and theatre with schoolwork goes, I have been super lucky to find some amazing theatre clubs on campus that also have a pretty low time commitment (shoutout USC's Theatre Showcase Group and Brand New Theatre!!). Both of these clubs meet roughly once a week for a couple of hours, which is super light compared to when I was doing full-blown productions (on top of other activities) in high school. I have really appreciated having these alternative low-time-commitment options, because it allows me to still have time to do what I love, even with my hectic schedule and heavy workload.

Honestly, everything can get totally overwhelming at times, but you just have to take life one day at a time and remind yourself that you have made it through everything life has thurdled at you thus far, and by that logic you'll make it through this, too. As the wise cast of High School Musical once said (sang?), "we're all in this together," and if I can do it, so can you!