Learning how to act and how to be a more productive individual
During this point in the semester, many students being to feel a sense of overwhelming stress and anxiety surrounding the issue of getting everything done in the time they are allotted. Seeing the deadlines of so many papers, labs reports, presentations, midterm examinations, and finals creep up; it is totally normal to begin feeling stressed out. This week, I want to talk to you a bit about how I helped myself learn to better deal with stressful situations.
I want to point out that I am not perfect. I spent years feeling overwhelmed, feeling like I would rather put “it” aside and deal with “it” later than attack the matter at hand immediately so I could move on to other assignments, other chores, or other social obligations. At times, “dealing with it later” turned into not dealing with it at all, or leaving it to the last minute then quickly racing to finish something just to be able to hand it in. Does this sound familiar to anyone yet?
As years went by and I realized that I wasn’t feeling great about how I was tackling my studies, I also realized that I wasn’t feeling great because I wasn’t reaching my full potential. I always felt that I was an intelligent person and that my thoughts and perceptions of things were worthy of sharing and discussing at an academic level, but I wasn’t allowing myself to really put myself out there. I was sabotaging myself out of fear. I was worried that maybe I wasn’t good enough, or maybe I wasn’t able to get everything done. I felt so worn down and disheartened that I hit rock bottom academically. I needed a break.
…don’t spend all of your time stressing about what you have to get done.
Once I realized that I needed to get things under control, I decided I was going to do things differently, and I did. I had always had a love for organizing things, whether it be my desk in elementary school, the drawers in my bedroom, the kitchen cabinets at my apartment – or even someone else’s home. This made me wonder if I loved organizing things so much, why hadn’t I been serious about organizing the time I dedicated to schoolwork and my mind? This goes far beyond the mere organization of one’s schedule, though that is a good place to begin. Keeping track and making lists of what needs to be done, and figuring out how long it may take you to finish work is a great place to start.
Successfully making your way through university has a lot to do with understanding how to properly manage your time and keep your life organized. University isn’t just about school, although at times, especially at this time of year, it will most certainly feel that way. With everything piling up, you may feel like you have no time to do anything else. Take it from me – don’t spend all of your time stressing about what you have to get done. Just complete what you need to get done. Think of it this way – if you finish all of the things you need to get done, you will have more time to do the things you want to do.
I spent days, and weeks, stressing over how I was physically and mentally going to finish everything that I had let pile up out of the fear of starting. Eventually, it dawned on me – if I took all the time I had spent stressing and used it to act on getting the things done I needed to get accomplished, I would have so much more free time, and I would be so much less stressed out. So I did exactly that. As soon as I began to feel overwhelmed, I just got to work. I planned out my days and I gave myself a certain amount of time to work on each assignment. Some obviously took longer than others – they were worth a larger percentage, or I found that class’ materials more difficult to comprehend. But it was ok, because I spent so much more time actually doing my work and so much less time stressing that I was able to get everything done.
This way of doing things took me years to understand, but once I had everything changed, I no longer felt stressed about assignments. Instead I felt liberated that I had the ability to get things done, and felt sure that I would be able to get them done well. I recognized that I was in full control of myself, and my schedule. Sure, I had guidelines like everyone does from professors and employers, but all of that in-between time was mine for the taking, and I did just that. During my last two years of university, I worked my butt off to achieve grades that I would be proud of, and I finally accepted the fact that I was capable of doing everything – I just had to put my mind to it and act.
I am a strong believer in action. It’s one thing to say something and a whole other thing to actually do it. I know right now is a busy time for all of you students out there, and I guess I wanted to reach out to you and let you know that you are not alone. I have been there. Look around, so many other people are there too, and it’s ok – you will get through this. You are strong enough, and you are capable of all of this – you just need to act.