Here’s a great audio of some effective time management techniques that will help you manage your time more effectively.
Have a listen and discover how to create a manageable schedule for yourself.
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Stress Management Tips for Students
Student life can be very stressful. The demands in school and at home can overwhelm your schedule and energy. Learning to balance stress must be emphasized on students, as younger generations still cannot fully comprehend and cope with most of lifes realities. There are several factors that can trigger stress for students and a variety of interventions are also easily and readily available to help them manage.
As a student, you should understand youre under stress when you feel down, are not in the mood, have trouble sleeping, or do not want to eat. You may also be more irritable, anxious, and tired. Your schoolwork is not doing so great and you dont feel enthusiastic about home or speaking to anyone. The stresses you felt before were a little manageable, but you have trouble coping and realize that you have to develop ways to alleviate your stress before you burn out completely.
1. Relax and physically remove yourself momentarily from the cause of the stress. Take a walk, breathe deeply, and close your eyes if you want to visualize a more calm and tranquil setting. If circumstances do not allow, you may stretch in your seat.
2. Stress can take a toll on your health, so it is vital that you eat, sleep, and exercise properly. Avoid too much sugar, alcohol and caffeine and eat nutritious food. Sleep is one factor that most students dont get a lot of, so try to get a full eight-hour sleep to rejuvenate and recover. Exercise can also boost your self-esteem and so do social activities, so try to find some that you enjoy.
3. Caffeine, drugs, alcohol, and smoking increases stress levels by constricting blood vessels and disrupting proper thinking and decision making.
4. Find a recreational activity you can do after class. Even for just fifteen to thirty minutes, do something you enjoy or are good at like sketching, listening to music or writing.
5. Create a schedule and stick with it. Some extra-curricular activities may sound like fun, but they may only disrupt your other priorities and keep you too busy intensifying your current stress level. Maximize your time on academics and important homework; and avoid overstaying in one activity when your routine suggests you move on to the next.
6. Organize your things and your living space. It will save you more time, as well as avoid losing or misplacing important objects during exams or recitations.
7. Plan your leisure. Spontaneity is not always advisable although most student parties and hangouts usually happen unplanned. At least, limit your time if you have school priorities, as overstaying will only result in lack of sleep. Save your fun for the weekend.
8. Talk to a close friend, teacher or counselor. These people care about you and understand what youre going through, so they can recommend a variety of techniques to help you manage stress.
It is quite difficult to avoid stress when youre altogether balancing having fun in your youth and family life, and satisfying the demands of your school. Whats important is you realize your priorities and back them up with consistency and discipline. In the end, you can pat yourself in the back for managing it all and being well on your way to post-school life success.
Get Rid of Procrastination Now!
Do you put off your work for later, only to find your deadlines steadily creeping in? Then you, my friend, are one of the millions of people afflicted by the procrastination virus. Procrastination is the biggest reason for loss of productivity and late output. Though many would not admit it, they would benefit greatly if they start their work on time.
For many people, putting off their work for later is more habit than desire. It can be so hard to get into a groove where starting your tasks in a timely fashion is a priority, especially if the consequences for being late are things that one can probably bear.
If you are one of these people, yet you desire to shake off your propensity for procrastination, then you have come to the right place. Here are a few tips to help you overcome this dilemma and become a more productive and reliable person.
1. Set schedules. It is very important that you have a list of activities to accomplish per day. This will help you realistically budget your time and resources. One of the cardinal sins people commit in regards to performing their tasks is to put off their work because they feel like there is so much time left. A journal, organizer, or calendar of events will help you plan and schedule your task so that you can start them promptly and finish them on time.
2. Save the Vacation for Later. Many people put their work off for later saying, I’ll just have a little fun then buckle down to work later. While it may be true that they may have more than enough time to accomplish their tasks, it would be better if they finished their work first and relax afterwards.
Wouldn’t relaxation be sweeter if it were after a taxing job? If you choose to lay back and relax before doing your tasks, you will be more prone to burnout and will have nothing exciting left to look forward to after accomplishing a task. It is always better to have slack period AFTER a job than before one, especially considering that people are wont to overusing their slack time. This is suicide if you are heading towards a deadline.
3. Never Underestimate Your Tasks. Sometimes procrastination sets in because people underestimate the resources, difficulty, and time spent for a particular task. They will usually say, It’s just mowing the lawn, its easy; I could do it in a jiffy. The problem is, no matter how trivial the task, it still takes time and resources to accomplish. If you underestimate a task, you will most likely set too little time to do it and schedule it too close to its deadline.
4. Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Comfortable Doing Nothing. It would definitely help if you kept a subconscious alarm whenever you are doing nothing. Get this alarm to remind you of things that may need to be done. This will help you foster the notion that jobs accomplished now means more time for relaxation later. However, even if this is the case, do not forget to put ample time in for rest and to remove all thoughts of troubles before hitting the sack. The trick here, however, is not to overdo you rest. There is a difference between resting and idling. Always set the right amount of time for rest and stick to that schedule.
