Tag Archives: time management

Overcommitting and Learning to Say “No.”

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This past week I have felt particularly overwhelmed with scholarship applications, cover letters for summer jobs, and choir performances coming up, all in addition to keeping up with my classwork, which included writing papers, finish problem sets, and preparing for the last exams before finals.

I am normally pretty good at organizing myself, keeping track of my assignments and projects in my planner, but recently I have not been doing as good a job at keeping up with it. Generally, I do better when I write things down so that I can refer back to my list later, but I have been feeling like I don’t even have enough time to write everything down that I need to do.

I called my mom to talk to her about it and the biggest things she noted were that I had 1. Overcommitted myself this semester, and 2. That it was a result of me having a hard time saying “No.” I have had this discussion with my mom multiple times, because I often overcommitted to activities and clubs in high school. But I have also talked about it with my friends at school, because I know that I am not the only one who suffers from this problem; many of the students at Scripps, and the 5Cs more generally, have a hard time saying “No.” In many ways, I think it speaks to the large number of interests most students here have. I know many people who are tutors, who are on a sports team, and are also science majors. Others are activists, members of multiple clubs, and students abroad. That was one of the first things that drew me to Scripps, but I also think that it can be a detriment to mental health and the ability to enjoy our time here.

My parents always remind me that college should be fun, and that I should be giving myself time to be with my friends and have time to myself. Oftentimes, I feel like I need to be doing something productive all the time, and I am realizing, as more and more time goes by, that, not only is that nearly impossible, but it is so important to have time where you’re not worried about being productive. If you are worried that you might be overcommitting by taking on a new responsibility, here are several things to ask yourself when you are making your decision:

  1. Will this activity make me happy? Is it something I enjoy doing?
  2. How much extra time will this activity require of me, and do I have that time to give? Even if I technically have the time to give, will it use up time I was planning to use for studying or relaxing? Will it create a back to back list of things to do on a certain day?
  3. What part of my overall health is this fulfilling?
  4. Is it something that’s necessary to my overall wellbeing?

If you answer no to any of these questions, it would be worth it to reevaluate why you are considering taking on this new responsibility and really think about what it will add to, or take away from, your life.

Have any other suggestions, or have your own experiences with overcommitting? Share and comment below!

Paperwork, Paperwork, and More Paperwork

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Coming back from spring break, in addition to over the break, I have found myself filling out so much paperwork for so many different applications and programs. Whether it’s been applying for scholarships, filling out paperwork for study abroad programs, applying for summer jobs, or registering for summer classes, the stacks of paper keep getting higher and higher.

I decided that I needed a system to organize myself and make sure that I remember important deadlines. Here’s what I have proposed for myself:

  1. Highlight deadlines and key dates on information sheets that are giving you a lot of information all at once. It’s likely that most of what’s written is important, but by highlighting the main info, you can glance at the sheet and remind yourself of what’s coming up.
  2. On that same note, place these papers in a visible place, somewhere you walk by regularly, so that you will pass by often enough not to forget what the paper is even talking about. I often place them on my bulletin board so that I can see them on a regular basis and refer back to them when making plans or trying to schedule meetings or weekend outings.
  3. Get a calendar or planner and write major dates and deadlines down so that you can plan around them and ration your time. Writing it on post-its is also an option. I recently wrote about keeping a planner to organize yourself, and that helps so much when it comes to these larger deadlines because it can help you manage your time better. If you know you have a large exam coming up, in addition to a job application deadline, you can start the application earlier so that you can spend more time focusing on studying for your exam.
  4. Don’t wait until the last minute to start applications or to start paperwork. Oftentimes, questions arise while you are working on an essay or filling something out, and you will do yourself a favor if you have not waited until the last minute because it means that you have time to contact someone and ask them questions about what to do. In addition, it will alleviate more stress in the long run. Getting stressed about these sorts of things is inevitable, but you can reduce the amount you feel by taking the work in chunks. That way, you’re not trying to it all at once, which is always a recipe for stress.
  5. Make sure that you are still having enough time to get all of your schoolwork done outside of your paperwork. Although it may seem like solidifying summer plans is the most important thing, but it is also very important to remember that you are a student first and foremost. If job applications are stressing you out because you need the money to help pay for Scripps or are stressed for other financial reasons, reach out to those in charge of the hiring process. Letting them know that you are interested is something they will view positively. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, there are many resources on campus (including CP&R!) that are here to help you navigate these exact situations. If you are worried about applications or paperwork due for study abroad programs, reach out to either Neva or Patricia in the SAGE office. They are very accommodating and are wonderful to talk with.

Paperwork can be overwhelming, so it’s good to have a system in place that can help keep you organized and on top of things. If you have any ideas that I didn’t list, comment below! Here’s to the second half of the semester!!

Tips for When the Going Gets Tough

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When life hits you all at once, it can be really hard to accept how you’re feeling and give yourself the time to process all your emotions. This week, I got out of a meeting and immediately felt like crying. I missed my mom and I suddenly felt so emotional that I couldn’t hold back my tears.

At the time, I was having a really hard time rationalizing my emotions, trying to figure out why I was feeling so sad, and could not come up with anything that made sense. The problem I realized later in the day was that, my feelings didn’t necessarily need to make sense. I think that often, as women, we are chastised for showing too much emotion, often being told that we are too emotional, and also that we are irrational as a result. What I have been realizing more and more often is that you feel what you feel and there is no stopping it. I also recognized that my feelings were likely a product of stress, even though at the time, I didn’t consciously feel stressed.

This is a very busy time in the semester, with midterms and papers being due, and it can be overwhelming trying to stay on top of everything. If there are times where you do feel like pulling your hair out, or you just feel like you can’t take it any more, here are some things you can do to cool off:

  1. Allow yourself to cry. Sometimes, I try to hold in my tears, when I could really benefit from just letting them out. Crying can be very cathartic, and I often feel better after I empty my tear ducts.
  2. If you can take a step from something, anything, do it! Even if it’s just skipping a meeting that you were planning on attending so that you can take some time to practice self care, it will be worth it.
  3. Go for a walk, go to the gym, do something to get your body moving. Even if you’re not training for a marathon or getting in shape for a sport, just doing something to get your heart rate up can be so beneficial for, not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional health. It has also been proven to relieve stress and can get endorphins flowing so that you feel happier afterwards.
  4. Call a friend, a family member, or talk with someone in person! The truth is that most people have either had similar experiences and can relate to what you’re feeling. It can feel so good to have someone affirm what you’re feeling, even though it is important to note that, even if someone doesn’t affirm your feelings, THEY ARE STILL 100% VALID.   
  5. Eat something delicious! I would not necessarily condone stress eating, though I am victim of it, but eating something healthy and delicious can help jumpstart your system and is great fuel for your brain. It’s not always to make healthy decisions when you’re stressed, but it’s the most important time to eat healthier. Try for at least one veggie or fruit per meal!

These are my tips, but if you have any that I haven’t listed, please comment below! Here’s to a great week, and coming up, spring break!!

Organizing Your Days, Weeks, and Months…and Staying Sane

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It can be really hard to maintain the multitude of things going on in your life. With classes, clubs, sports, labs, and friends, it can often feel like there’s not enough time for everything. Here are my tips for maintaining your sanity amidst it all.

  1. Be diligent about writing down your assignments, meetings, doctors appointments, and other important events down somewhere. It helps to have a planner so that you can organize yourself by day, week, and month. This also makes it easier to look ahead and see what events you have coming up that you may need to prepare for.
  2. Make sure to take careful note of events that are not usually a part of your schedule. These are often the hardest things to remember because they are not a part of your daily routine. If you think that that will not be enough, you can highlight it, write it in a pen so that it stands out from your writing in pencil. That way, there is a much smaller chance that you will miss it and then forget about it.
  3. Color code things! This helps me so much because I know that when I see a certain color, it means a specific event is coming up. For example, I write all my upcoming quizzes and tests in bright blue. That way, when I leaf through my planner, I know that I have a test on the days with bright blue.
  4. Plan out what you need to do over the weekend before the weekend starts. I often find that if I try to plan my homework for the weekend on Saturday, it overwhelms me, and I often don’t end up getting as much work done. If I can write out everything I need to do before the weekend hits, I have a better chance of getting everything done. It is also important to note that there are always lots of fun things going on over the weekend, so when planning everything you need to do, it can be helpful to decide what time of day you want to accomplish certain tasks. That way you can also schedule time to spend time with friends and relax.
  5. Check things off your list! Personally, I find nothing to be more satisfactory than crossing something off my list of things to do. If you write something down in your planner or on a piece of paper, it means it was important enough that you didn’t want to forget to do it, which means that when you’re done with it, you get to say farewell to that task and definitely cross it off the list.
  6. Be realistic with your goals and the amount of work you hope to get done in a day. I oftentimes find myself writing down too much for the time I have in the day, and that often leaves me feeling disappointed that I didn’t get more done and, maybe even, behind on my assignments. That’s why being realistic is so important. If you can set realistic goals for yourself, you are more likely to reach them and feel content at the end of the day.         
  7. Schedule time to be with friends and to relax. I often find myself only writing things down that are related to my studies or meetings, but self care is so important and for many people, that involves spending time with friends or being alone. It is easy to forget how important it is, but writing it down will not only remind you to take that time, but also remind you of its gravity.

Forgetfulness and the Importance of Organization

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This week I was reminded how much I benefit from writing everything down. Whether it’s homework I have to do, meetings I have with professors, or meals that I was planning to have with specific people, I always do better when I am organized, and for me, that means that it needs to put in writing for me to remember to do it. On Monday, I had a job application due and I had finished the last parts of it on Sunday night and was ready to turn it in by 5pm the next day. Unfortunately for me, I did not write this down in my planner. I had written down several other things that needed to happen that day, like going to my math professor’s office hours and going to Student Health Services for a TB test. I was locked into my planner and the schedule that I had written down and realized twenty-three minutes after 5 o’clock that my application was already late.

That moment of panic kept me stressed for the next 45 minutes, where I emailed all the pieces of my application to the woman in charge and apologized profusely for being late, but also understanding if she would decide not to consider my application. After thinking about it, I realized that, because it was something so important to me, and something that I had spent so much time on, I assumed that I would remember to turn the application in, regardless of whether or not I wrote it down. To know that, made me even more frustrated, but hoped that the woman in charge would understand my mistake and still accept my application.

Because of this incident, I have drafted a few rules for myself so that I can make sure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.

  1. Always write something down on a piece of paper, or in a planner, even if you don’t think you’ll forget. There is a lot going on for most students, and it is easy to think that you will remember important things, like job applications, but in fact, it is very easy to forget, and writing it down will ensure that what needs to get done is accomplished.               
  2. Turn things in early, if you can! Oftentimes, professors would rather you turn assignments in on the day that they’re due because it makes it easier for them to organize all the documents being turned in, but if they’ll allow it, do it! This way, there is no way that it will be late or forgotten.
  3. If you remember something that you need to get done, either write it down, or just finish the task while it’s still on your mind. Even though it may be interrupting something else I’m doing, as these thoughts often come to me while I’m in the midst of working on an assignment, I know that if I don’t do whatever it is I’m thinking about in that moment, there is no way I will remember to do it at all.