Student Blog: Time Management!

Good Morning!

Every time I have a break between semesters, I get quite bored from not having anything to do. When the semester rolls around, then, I always sign up for a ton of things, hoping to cure said boredom, only to be hit with a million things on my to do list at once, every time.

In the end it's always worth it, but having so many tasks jump at you at once can be tricky to navigate. This is what I do throughout the year to make sure things get done smoothly!

Something I have realized personally is that not every semester is the same. They consist of the same events generally: a musical, juries, midterms, finals; however, I can not accurately tell which parts of the semester will be more stressful than others. Last semester, I was taking two rigorous classes, and I was consistently busy each week, especially before exams. This semester, midterms really passed without me feeling it, since I have a lighter workload. Most of the stress hit me at the beginning of this semester, because one of my classes got canceled and I had to find a different class to take instead.

It is for this reason that I typically look at things from a week-to-week basis. If you are like me, and you are not very organized, always remember: baby steps! I see some people with well organized planners that meticulously cover events and deadlines, which is not something that I can commit to. I typically write my reminders in different places, but I have a makeshift to-do list in my notes app where I add and delete tasks as they come and go. Though it is not as comprehensive as other people's planners, it at least helps me remember what I have to do throughout the week. 
 

Patience is also key! On days where I know I will be busy, I will try to write a very detailed report of how the day should go so that I don't become overwhelmed. A recent example: I had a performance, and, being a percussionist, there are a lot of things I have to move onto the stage. Then, I have to move everything back after the performance is over. To make sure that I didn't forget or lose anything (especially personal items), I wrote a list of what needed to happen with each instrument: "I'll ask for help lifting this", "I can move this on my own", "this should go back in the car", "this should go back in my locker", "this can stay in the auditorium until tomorrow". Doing this helps things run with a lot less stress.

Something else that has helped me is being in contact with someone in each of my classes. You may find that studying is a lot easier when you have someone to hold you accountable, and vice versa. You may also see your confidence in a subject reaffirmed when you are able to explain difficult concepts to another person.

The most important thing to keep in mind, in my opinion, is that there is no right or wrong way to be a good student. Some of us are more disorganized than others, or have a harder time focusing in class. Some of us get frustrated more easily than others. You know what you need better than anyone else, and as long as you listen to those needs, you are very capable of making it through this semester, and those yet to come!