Things to Keep in Mind

So, it’s that time in the semester when I have way too much to do and don’t want to do any of it. One of my friends asked me a couple of weeks ago, “I noticed you’ve been blogging a lot…how do you have time for that?” Meaning–“you are taking 16 grueling credits this semester, you have a practically full time job as a student hall director, you’re involved in way too many extracurriculars for your own good, somehow you manage to work out a few times a week, and you still have time to blog? ARE YOU CRAZY?”

Well, in short, no. At least I don’t think so. However, I am having a touch of senioritis and have become an expert procrastinator.

That being said, it’s getting down to crunch time. I don’t want to do anything. This is a problem. I also haven’t been using my time wisely as it is, which I’m not proud of. So, to motivate myself, I have decided to write a list of things that I need to keep in mind as I push through these next five weeks. Really, this list is useful for anytime of the year, though it resonates with me particularly in this high stress, low motivation time period as the end of the semester looms over me.

Without further ado…

• Hold yourself accountable for the things you need to do for yourself

You’re a pro at holding yourself accountable when it comes to doing things for others. One of your CAs needs a purchase order signed?  You have it printed out, signed, and back to them in a of matter minutes. You have to cancel plans with a friend because your senior seminar is taking over your life? You immediately call them to apologize profusely, explaining the situation at hand as completely as possible. However, when it comes to to the things you need to do for yourself *cough cough Homework* you kind of suck. If you say you’re going to do read for Brit Lit, write a few pages for your Senior Seminar, and peer review papers for Understanding Writing all in a given day, do it, or at least make a point to try!

• That being said, plan for what you know you are capable of

If you know you can’t accomplish all of that in one day, don’t plan for it. Be realistic, girl! You’ll feel so much better about yourself when you accomplish what you intended to accomplish in a given day. That starts with realizing your own limits!

• Get off your phone

Before your smart phone days (which really weren’t that long ago) you would look at people who were constantly on their phones and be thankful that that wasn’t you. You thought those people were missing a crucial part of what it is to really live. Social media is the exact opposite of what it truly means to be social. As an introvert, sometimes social media is great for you. It allows you to interact with people while still being by yourself. However, you don’t want to stay connected to it all the time. Now, with your trusty smart phone in hand, you seem to find yourself becoming the very person you never wanted to be. So stop it with the phone. Social media can wait. Passenger really says it best. Listen to him.

• On that note, read a fucking book for once

You complain that you never have time to read for fun…BUT YOU DO! If you didn’t spend so much time staring at a computer/phone screen, you could get so much reading done! You know you’re the type of person that works in short spurts and then needs to recharge, so you end up spending a lot of time on Facebook in between writing papers and reading for school…think of all that reading for fun you could be accomplishing if you took out a book to read for fun during that time instead of checking social media!

• Appreciate the time you have with your friends

But really. You’ve made some fantastic ones here at Morris and before long you’re all going to be out in the real world doing your own thing who knows where. Enjoy them while you have them close.

• Plan for the future, but don’t live in it

  This really fantastic post from a fellow blogger is absolutely perfect. Yeah, it’s important to plan past college. It’s getting to that point where you need to start thinking about what you’re going to do when you graduate. But don’t lose sight of where you are right now. College is a really cool and unique time in life. Enjoy it while it lasts.

• Homework is what you make of it

Yeah, senioritis is a thing, but it doesn’t have to be as severe as you’re making it. Don’t let the term “homework” make you lose sight of the projects that you’re passionate about. You absolutely love both your senior seminar project and your Understanding Writing project and don’t forget that. Remember that you are fortunate to be working on two projects that give you life and inspire you. Be thankful for that; attitude is everything.

• Stop being so damn selfish

Sometimes you find yourself in situations you’d rather not be in and instead of sucking it up, you get bitchy and passive aggressive. Just don’t, okay? The world doesn’t revolve around you. Use these situations as learning experiences and not as opportunities to look for pity. Anyways, people take no joy in pitying mean people.

• Stop judging people

That girl in class who said she read ahead to Friday when it’s only Monday? She’s not a stuck up overachiever. She clearly uses her time better than you do, which makes her smarter than you in that respect. She’s also only a sophomore and probably doesn’t have as crazy of a course load as you. You have better things to do with your time than judge her. Like, I don’t know, doing your homework?

• Appreciate the people that matter most

Your family. Your friends. Your professors. Your staff.

So many people do so much for you. You are so thankful for all of them. They don’t hear that enough.

• Stop worrying so much about who’s reading your blog

You started to blog because you love writing and view writing as a release. Remember that and stay true to yourself as a writer. If people like it, they will read it. If they don’t, at least you know you’re doing something that you feel proud of.

So, this concludes my list of the things that I need to keep in mind and work towards as I finish up this semester and look ahead.  I feel so much better in just writing this all out. Here’s to a positive and productive end to the semester!