Balance
The life of a student leader is hectic! Classes, papers, exams,
jobs, meetings, events, a social life-how do you keep yourself from
going insane? The key is to learn how to manage your time and how
to incorporate some time for yourself in your daily routine.
Time Management
The key to time management is learning to concentrate on the
results you produce, not just on being busy. Sometimes it is easy
to feel as if we are extremely busy, but really we are not
producing the results we need to. Keeping an Activity Log can help
gain a better understanding of how our time gets used on a daily
basis. Also, using a To Do List can help prioritize and get a
handle on the tasks you need to accomplish.
Activity Logs
To keep an activity log, document the things you do during the
day as you do them, and don't change your normal behavior in any
way. Every time you change activities, which may range from walking
to class, reading for class, talking to roommates, attending a
meeting, or watching TV, write down the time and activity. It is
also a good idea to record how you feel at that time, such as
alert, tired, energetic, etc.
After a few days, review your activity log-you may be surprised
to see how you actually spend your time! Also look at how you feel
at certain times during the day-you can then identify when you are
most effective in the day and try to adjust tasks to fit your
energy levels throughout the day.
To Do Lists
To Do lists are great when you have a number of different tasks
or different sorts of tasks that need to be accomplished. Utilizing
a list can help reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed and
stressed, and can help in breaking down everything that needs to be
done.
Write down the tasks that you need to do, and if they are large,
break those larger tasks down into smaller steps. Next prioritize
your tasks by identifying what needs to be done first, second, etc.
Just having things written down can help make everything seem more
manageable and motivate you to start accomplishing them!
Stress Management
Stress can show itself in many different ways-signals to be
aware of related to stress are:
- Headaches
- Lacking sense of humor
- Disorganized
- Skin breakouts
- Nervous
- Fuzzy perception
- Cold hands
- Hostile
- Confused
- Indigestion
- Forgetfulness
- Math errors
- Negative self-talk
- Sleeplessness
- Poor judgment
Using some of the following tips can help reduce the levels of
stress you feel-trying even one or two of these tactics can make a
huge difference in your life!
Organize Yourself - use your To Do lists and
Activity Logs to help manage your time and energy
Reward Yourself - plan leisure time into your
schedule so you have things to look forward to
Exercise - block off an hour a day in your
schedule specifically for exercise
Eat Well and Rest - eating a balanced diet and
avoiding things such as caffeine, fats, and sugars can help keep
your mind and body focused. Don't forget to take study breaks, rest
your eyes, and try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
Be Aware of Yourself - watch for any of the
signals mentioned above or any others that seem to be not normal
for you. Your body is telling you that something is not right!
Relax Yourself - let yourself engage in
daydreaming, short meditation breaks, progressive relaxation,
listening to relaxing music, breathing exercises, etc.