Student Blog: Right On Track

When we think of college we often associate it with long, excessive papers, horrific midterms/finals, long nights, and tons of Starbucks/Dunkin Donut trips to help us get through it all. However, if you were to ask me how I can manage my school, theatre, and work responsibilities I would tell you "scheduling!" Currently, I am in my final fall semester, and let me tell you burnout is REAL! I often find myself overwhelmed. I work a part-time job outside of my school environment therefore when I am in rehearsals for a show, my day-to-day life becomes extremely busy. Through the years I have remained on top of all my grades by achieving the Dean's List however, there has been a lot of trial and error when it comes to finding out what has worked for me. Before I would always hear the importance of time management but it never hit me until I experienced my first midterm week back in November of 2019. I would do things at my discretion, however, after coming back to school after a global pandemic, I had to find something that worked and was consistent. That is reworking my mindset.

I created a lot of bad habits such as leaving projects at the last minute, not allowing my body to fully rest, and eating at hours that are far from healthy which would not allow me to perform at my best. After weeks of stress, I started to create/implement my schedule. I like to think that I have a personal assistant (my schedule) who tells me absolutely everything I need to do. My assistant is composed of two components, a master spreadsheet, and a monthly calendar. These two items work hand in hand with one another to create the ultimate stress-free schedule. When creating this I wanted it to be something I would enjoy doing, therefore the spreadsheet is colorful and filled with motivational pictures. I would be lying if I were to tell you that this didn't take long; however, I played my favorite music, ate my favorite snacks, and did this before the semester started to make this as enjoyable as possible. My master spreadsheet tells me all my homework assignments and the date that it is due within the entire semester. I was able to achieve this by going through the syllabus of each class. My monthly calendar is composed of all my events/work life I have within that month. For example, some of the categories I have are work, gym, assignment deadlines, showings/events, auditions, audition searching, rehearsals, homework time, birthdays, and most important rest days. It is super important for me to plan a day of the week when I am not doing absolutely anything so my body can take a break from reality. I used to overextend myself to the point I would burn out fast and not want to do a single thing which did not help me succeed in my weekly tasks. Therefore selecting a day, predominantly Sundays, sets me up for a smooth week.

Although I mentioned I utilize two skills that help me balance my college/work life, on a day-to-day basis, It is also important to remind myself that life happens and schedules do in fact change. Even though I already have this very detailed template set out for me, on Saturdays, I create an hourly schedule for each day of the week that makes sense for me and my body. This allows me to hold myself accountable and have self-discipline. There is no better feeling than getting things done, and what I have created for myself works for me! I want everyone to have success and be proud of their work. Therefore, if you find yourself falling behind your schedule, or are looking for a tactic to help you plan everything, feel free to steal my idea! If you have any questions on how to create a spreadsheet/day-to-day monthly schedule feel free to get in contact with me and we can plan a time to do so! Take care of yourselves and I send you all the greatest vibes this world has to offer!

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