It can be easy to develop bad habits during the school year. Exhaustion, lack of motivation and the need to get things done can influence us as students to do some not-so-great things for our minds, bodies and academics. Here are 5 things I did last year that I won’t repeat:
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking
- Skipping one class to catch up on another
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Having back to back classes brings additional pressure for deadlines. Last year, I had a relatively easy class followed by a more difficult class. This combination often resulted in me skipping the first class to work on the second one. The result? Falling behind in both classes. This year, I am going to ensure that I not only attend all my classes but I also focus on what I should be focused on — the class’ specific content, not another’s.
- Thinking I can multitask
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We’ve all been there: sitting in a cafe or library in front of an open laptop while scrolling through Instagram, searching for a good playlist or putting on Netflix “in the background” while writing an essay. The problem with all these distractions is that multitasking is not actually possible. Psychologytoday refers to human multitasking as “switch-tasking.” You may think that you’re effectively completing tasks simultaneously when instead, you’re doing each task in a repetitive and consecutive order. I admit that I do this because my attention span can prevent me from focusing on one project for an extended amount of time (thanks Vine!) In order to fix this, I have adopted the Pomodoro Technique. The method requires you to work in intervals. To elaborate, you would work for 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break. One round of work plus the 5 minute break is 1 Pomodoro. Every 4 Pomodoros, you get a longer break — usually 15-20 minutes. When I use this method, I ensure that I do not touch my phone at all until one of my breaks. Websites such as tomato-timer.com or pomodoro-tracker.com are helpful in keeping track.
- Avoiding communication with people in my classes
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Other than group projects, last year I tried to avoid interaction with my classmates as much as possible. While social anxiety can partly take the blame, I should also acknowledge my own pride and unwillingness to meet new people. The thing about university is that despite our freedom to sit anywhere, we creatures of habit will find a spot to sit and stay there for the whole semester. Therefore, the people next to us remain our closest allies for 4 months (those that drop the class are exceptions, of course). These people can be immensely helpful when it comes to missed notes, group projects, discussions and maintaining general sanity during class. I’m not saying that this year I’m going to try to be friends with everyone I sit next to. But I’m also not opposed to meeting people that will make university life a little less lonely and a little more bearable.
- Buying Food/Coffee Every Day
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It adds up when you are ordering a soy chai latte and a chewy ginger cookie every day. While some people make their daily expenses cheaper by using reusable coffee mugs and stamp cards or rewards, I know that all of that combined still adds up. Financial aspect aside, I know that breakfast from most of the places on and around campus aren’t always the healthiest options. So, to avoid losing more money than what UAlberta has already taken from me and to avoid bloating and breakouts from my deep-fried food addiction, I am going to attempt to limit my food orders to once a week or less. Wish me luck.
- Doubting myself
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University has made me realize that I am not as smart as my grade school teachers made me out to be. The transition from an above-average grade school student to an average university student was definitely a hit to my self-esteem. I often find myself with an intense case of impostor syndrome in most of my classes. I feel as though I do not belong with the rest of the people in the class because I am not at the same intellectual level. What I realize now, though, is that most people have days like this. They have days where they feel as though they are not enough. The truth is that you are enough, you do belong where you are and with effort and intent, you can prove this to yourself and realize that the only one doubting you is you.
Source:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking
Article by Maia de Borja