As finals for the semester are finishing up, winter break can’t seem to come fast enough. I know I speak for many people when I say that this semester had many ups and downs.
Many of the takeaways evolved from trial and error, and I will be the first to admit that they were not easy by any means.
From the good, the bad and the very ugly, here are two of the lessons I’ve learned that I will be using going into the new year.
- Planning and Prioritizing
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I started this year with the mentality that I would not stress too much about my assignments as I long as I remember to complete them with ample time to spare. Huge mistake.
I would be hanging out with friends, then suddenly remember a paper that was assigned weeks ago, is now due in a couple of hours. After one or two close calls of turning assignments in on time, I decided enough was enough.
I sat down and wrote every assignment from my syllabi into a spreadsheet and then color-coded it by class. That way I could scroll and look at an assignment weeks before it was due and start to prepare the work or research for it.
After implementing this method into my daily routine, I only missed one assignment and could no longer use the excuse of “I forgot” for why I procrastinated and started an assignment the day it was due.
- Learning When to say no
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This is admittedly one of my biggest struggles in life. I find it next to impossible to say no to other people.
Whether it be signing up for activities in multiple clubs knowing it will stretch me thin or going out with friends even though I should really stay in and study. I hate letting people down.
I had to come to the realization that I will not be hated by my peers for saying “no” or “can we reschedule?” when my plate begins to overflow. I also had to learn the hard way more than a couple of times, that it is better to produce two quality assignments over five mediocre ones.
Most people tend to be understanding when you provide reasoning behind a no and will not hold it over your head. You should never be afraid to take a step back and realize that it’s okay to pass on some opportunities if it means properly completing the ones you are currently working on.
I will look back at this semester as one where I am extremely proud of the changes that I’ve made. The effects of these changes are not just ones that I’ve seen academically, but ones that I’ve seen having an improvement on my mental health.
Instead of spending hours cramming to complete things by their deadlines, I simply look ahead and build my weekly schedule around the tasks I need to accomplish. Instead of wondering how I could possibly have time to devote to all of my organizations and clubs with all of the activities I signed up for, I now know what load I can realistically handle and can then turn around to produce amazing and detailed work that I know I put 100% of my effort into.