Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Spend Time with Loved Ones

Ah! Spring Break! A much needed respite from day to day business of college life. This break came at a perfect time for me. Midterms and Orientation kept me extremely busy the week prior to spring break, and by the end of the week, I was in desperate need of some relaxation. It was the perfect opportunity to rest and recharge my batteries for the remaining portion of spring semester. This week at home allowed me to spend time with my family, as well as spend some time alone away from the chaos of college. It is very important to spend time with your family because they are people that truly care about you. They are also people that know you very well and support you during the difficult times. I greatly cherished my time spent with my family over break, and it really made me realize what an important part of my life they are. It is so important to make time for the people you love in your life. At the end of spring break, I had a rude awakening to the importance of spending time with the people you love. Last weekend, an old friend of mine died. She was only nineteen years old, and the in the wake of the shock of her death, I was able to even more fully appreciate the time I had not only spent with her, but also with the other people I love in my life. You never know how much time you truly have with a person, so it is best to make the most of the time you do have, because you never know when that time will be gone.


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Monday, March 1, 2010

Friends can help!!!

Midterms, papers, projects are all piling up these last couple weeks before spring break, making it a very stressful time. One way to help alleviate the stress (if you have homework schedules planned), is to spend time with friends. It is also always a great stress reliever to hangout and relax with some good friends. Friends understand and can sympathize with the stress of school; and spending time with them either discussing all the stress you are under or just having a good time can refresh you making it easier to tackle that major paper that is a significant portion of your grade. Moreover, it is helpful to use time spent with friends as a reward for studying. It is also important to have balance in your life, so a balance between school work and a social life is important. You don’t want to go overboard on the social aspect though and forget about your school work. Instead utilize your time with your friends to build relationships, relax, and take a break from the stress of school. I have been extremely stressed with multiple tests and papers due, and after doing homework all Saturday afternoon, it was extremely helpful to have dinner with a friend who was able to sympathize with my stress as well as provide encouragement to keep pushing through. She also inspired me to continue working for a couple more hours after our date before taking the rest of the night off and spending it with friends. By using the time I spent with friends as a reward for getting work done I was also able to focus better, and then get even more recharged after spending time with my friends!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tips to Focus

This has been a very busy two weeks for me. One thing that has made it extremely busy is that I joined a sorority, and I am going though Orientation which is very time consuming. Luckily we have set study hours to help get homework done, but because I am with my new sisters, it is difficult to focus on studying instead of socializing. It is extremely important to stay focused during study hours and stay on-top of grades because classes are the reason we are at Trinity! Because of this, I have compiled some tips to help you stay focused when studying.















1. Put away distractions. This includes the computer and cell phones. If you do not need a computer, do not even bring it with you when you study. It is too easy to long on and open up facebook. Turn off and put away your cell phone so that you are not distracted by your friends and family.
2. Don't socialize. If you are studying around people you know, don’t strike up a social conversation in the middle of studying. This breaks your concentration and takes up important studying time.
3. Focus on one thing at a time. If you have a variety of homework, don’t move from one topic to the next without completing your first task. This breaks your concentration on your first assignment and rushes you. Moreover, if you complete a task before moving on, you will feel a sense of accomplishment!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Homework Overload—How to Manage


Have you ever had various homework assignments, paper, and tests all due around the same time? Well, that is my homework situation this week, so I decided to focus on the implementation of a schedule that will get work done in a timely manner. In the previous post (January 20th), I talked about using a calendar to help plan your day. If you find yourself in my situation of homework overload, you might find it helpful to plan out a daily schedule that specifies not only what time you will start a given assignment, but also how long you will spend on that assignment. Your schedule does not need to be planned down to the minute, and you can slightly alter it to fit your needs as the day goes by. It is important to remember to not alter the schedule too much, because it provides a basic outline that will keep you on track in all you endeavors. Considering all details, such as calculating how much time it will take to walk back to the dorm, to eat each a meal, and even the time it takes to shower, will visibly show you how time adds up. Being conscious of the time NOT spent doing homework will keep you on track and focused during your scheduled homework time (and help you recognize how much time is wasted by that half hour spent on Facebook). Good luck!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Time is Precious


Time is precious. Time is too important to waste. The time you spend doing homework reflects the grade you get in class. Getting good grades, and thus a good education are the reason we are all here at Trinity. But what about the time we spend outside of the classroom? What about the time you spend with friends? Is that important too? The time you spend with friends can lead to fun activities, serious discussions, goofy moments, and a brief therapy session. This time you spend with friends can teach you many lessons that the classroom doesn’t teach. Unfortunately, though, how you separate your time between the classroom and social activities can become very stressful, and lead one to feeling overwhelmed. I definitely think that “Timing is Everything” when it comes to managing this stress. In order to manage my time, I employ the use of my Outlook Calendar. I am currently really busy because I not only have my classes and homework to worry about, but I am also going through Rush (which is very time consuming), as well as trying to maintain my relationships with my close friends and family. Overall, it can be pretty stressful, and my Outlook Calendar helps keep me on track (even though updating it can be time-consuming and stressful as well). I always feel less stressed once I have my days planned. It is so nice to have everything organized and color-coded so it is easy to know what I need to get done. Without my Outlook, I would waste so much time procrastinating or being confused over the things I need to do; I would be lost! The saying “time is precious” is definitely true.