Stretching Time
With the end of the semester drawing near, to say us as students are overwhelmed is an understatement. There is so much to do and so little time it feels. The number of texts that I've gotten from my peers saying, "I'm feeling overwhelmed by this, how am I ever going to make it in a management position?" has become a weekly occurrence. Well the key to this I have found is time management and after watching a Ted Talks by Laura Vanderkam called "How to Gain Control of Your Free Time," she really put into perspective what time management truly is.
Vanderkam brings up an interesting point when she says, "Time will stretch to accommodate what we choose to put into it." I paused the video and thought about this phrase for a second. When I thought about my weekly schedule and what I'm able to accomplish within those days, I found that the things I needed to get done most (school and work) were the tasks that got completed. Those things have and I believe always will remain my priorities. Even when I feel like there's no way I can get everything I need to done, this idea of "time stretching" always seems to pull through and I'm able to successfully accomplish things.
Even with time management skills that allow me to complete my school and work activities in a timely manner, I still feel a constant nagging stress about fitting in my other activities. One thing I really love to do is ride my horse. I work many hours a week just to afford her care, but often find myself not being able to ride everyday because "I don't have time." Vanderkam brought up a unique point that when people say "I don't have time" or "I'm too busy" it's because it isn't a priority. Since riding is something I love and it helps destress me, I need to find a way to make it more of a priority. Life is too short to only prioritize your career goals and not focus on yourself or the relationships you make along the way.
Vanderkam suggests to make a list, say on a Friday afternoon, about two things you want to work on to prioritize during the following week in your career, your relationships, and yourself (two things for each category). We have a 168 hours in a week, that's a lot of time. We should have time, in fact plenty of time, to get our career/school goals accomplished, and then focus on other things that makes us happy, like riding for myself and spending time with my friends and family. So instead of stressing and only trying to focus on my essays, projects, and test that are fast approaching, I'm going to try harder to make time for things I really enjoy, so that I'm able to look back on this learning experience as one that wasn't super stressful, but one that I was able to make many memories along the way. No matter how many times I might think, "I don't have time," I need to remind myself I do have time for the stuff that truly matters. By making the most of every second that I have, I know I have the power to manage my time to create a life full of good memories with the time that I have.
How to gain control of your free time
Vanderkam brings up an interesting point when she says, "Time will stretch to accommodate what we choose to put into it." I paused the video and thought about this phrase for a second. When I thought about my weekly schedule and what I'm able to accomplish within those days, I found that the things I needed to get done most (school and work) were the tasks that got completed. Those things have and I believe always will remain my priorities. Even when I feel like there's no way I can get everything I need to done, this idea of "time stretching" always seems to pull through and I'm able to successfully accomplish things.
Even with time management skills that allow me to complete my school and work activities in a timely manner, I still feel a constant nagging stress about fitting in my other activities. One thing I really love to do is ride my horse. I work many hours a week just to afford her care, but often find myself not being able to ride everyday because "I don't have time." Vanderkam brought up a unique point that when people say "I don't have time" or "I'm too busy" it's because it isn't a priority. Since riding is something I love and it helps destress me, I need to find a way to make it more of a priority. Life is too short to only prioritize your career goals and not focus on yourself or the relationships you make along the way.
Vanderkam suggests to make a list, say on a Friday afternoon, about two things you want to work on to prioritize during the following week in your career, your relationships, and yourself (two things for each category). We have a 168 hours in a week, that's a lot of time. We should have time, in fact plenty of time, to get our career/school goals accomplished, and then focus on other things that makes us happy, like riding for myself and spending time with my friends and family. So instead of stressing and only trying to focus on my essays, projects, and test that are fast approaching, I'm going to try harder to make time for things I really enjoy, so that I'm able to look back on this learning experience as one that wasn't super stressful, but one that I was able to make many memories along the way. No matter how many times I might think, "I don't have time," I need to remind myself I do have time for the stuff that truly matters. By making the most of every second that I have, I know I have the power to manage my time to create a life full of good memories with the time that I have.
How to gain control of your free time
We all feel a little overwhelmed as the semester draws to a close, students and professors alike! Good tips here.
ReplyDeleteI respect your need to ride! If it helps relieve stress, go for it. You have to make things that make you happy a priority, just as much as all your school work - promise me, you will look back on this and laugh at the stress you are under :) You got this!
ReplyDelete