By Sarah Hood
Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer
It is 9 p.m., the night before class. You have just worked a double shift at work, and you are exhausted. You realize that you haven't eaten today, so you run by McDonald's on your way home. Your phone rings, and his face pops up. Chad. You haven't talked to him all day because work was SO busy. You decide to ignore the call and call him back once you get settled and at home. It rings again. And again. And again. You finally answer, and you hear the words that no one wants to hear: "We need to talk. Can you come over?"
Time Management:
Time management plays a huge role in staying on track. According to my own calculations, there are only 168 hours in a week. If a student is working full time, 40 of those hours are spent at work. Out of the 168 hours, 15 hours are spent at school. If you get eight hours of sleep a day, 56 of those hours are spent sleeping. This allows you 28.5 hours a week to study and have social time. You have to be able to manage your time to avoid stress and be able to fit everything into its place. Your time is like a puzzle, and you create the pieces to fit where they need to go. Make a schedule. Get a planner and plan out time for work, school and personal life. Don’t get caught up in a routine. Just go with the plan. Everything else will fall into place.
You frantically drive over to his house, just to remember that today was your one-year anniversary. He meets you at the door with flowers and a kiss. He has made a dinner fit for royalty, but you hate to tell him that you just filled up on that juicy, savory Big Mac. You go in, grab a quick bite, just so he doesn't feel bad that you didn't eat his cooking that he probably spent hours on. Then you sit down on the couch to watch a movie with him, “The Notebook”, your favorite movie. You cuddle up on the couch, and as the movie begins, you begin to dose off.
Priorites:
In order to stay on task in school, you need to make sure to have priorities. If you want to be able to manage everything going on in your life, you must set your tasks in order of importance. Between school, work and relationships, everything can become very overwhelming. You may find yourself pushing one thing to the side in order to deal with another. You just have to find out which of these has the greatest importance.
Personally, I believe that school should always have the greatest priority in life. Yes, you must work in order to survive, but if you overwhelm yourself with work, school will fall to the wayside.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/07/10/study-shows-how-working-community-college-students-fared), some 44 percent of students worked “while enrolled in their first year of postsecondary education. This is a large number considering that most students attend class for 15 hours a week. This also goes back to time management. Like I said, everything plays hand in hand.
You jolt awake to the phone ringing. It's Leah, your best friend. You answer, half awake, and she begins to talk frantically into the phone. "Sarah! Did you get the answer to number three? What is he even talking about in that essay question? I know I'm gonna fail. I shouldn't have waited until the last minute to do this exam. It's 10:30! It's due by midnight! What am I going to do?" You quiet her down just to try to figure out exactly what she's talking about. "The midterm exam? Tonight? OH CRAP!" You got so distracted with work and spending time with Chad that you forgot that the midterm was due tonight by midnight. You rush to Chad's computer and attempt to start this exam with no notes, and half asleep.
Deadlines:
Deadlines play a major role in the stresses of a student. However, they will always be there. Deadlines are deadlines, and that’s why they are deadlines. Motlow State Community College’s Mass Communications professor, Charles Whiting, has learned and grown by meeting deadlines.
“Being able to meet deadlines leads to success, while helping others,” he said. “Disregarding deadlines generally leads to failure. This is especially true for students who are developing the skills, confidence and credibility needed for challenging careers.”
Being a student myself, I struggle with meeting a deadline. In order to meet a deadline, you must prepare. You know when the assignment is due. You know the steps you need to take in order to fully and correctly complete the assignment. You know you can’t finish the assignment two hours before it is due. In order to avoid the stress, allow yourself plenty of time to prepare, brainstorm, study and finish the assignment with plenty of time to look over your assignment before it is due.
I've spent many nights after work trying to cram in homework before I fall out of exhaustion. Being a student isn't easy. Balance isn't something that just happens. You can become overwhelmed WAY too easy. Between making ends meet, to maintaining that GPA, and throw a relationship in there, it can be a horrible whirlwind. If you manage your time, prepare to meet your deadlines, and create priorities, you will notice your stress levels drop tremendously.
Here’s a tip from Professor Whiting: “Take a break (even for a few minutes) to do something you really love. Forget about what’s stressing you for a while. Take a walk, watch a movie, or bang on the piano. Read a good book. Joke and laugh with someone. Even walking around for a few minutes can relieve creativity-stealing stress. Say to yourself, ‘I can do this. I’ve been given talents that no one else has, and I love what I do.’ Remember some of the encouraging things people have said to you, and seek reassurance if needed. Know that your professors believe in you as they push and challenge you toward success. You can do it!”
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