I'm Still Here, I Promise

I have reached brand new heights in my level of stress and responsibilities this semester. That is probably the number one contributing factor to my complete lack of posts. Between a class that requires a 20+ page historical article based on original research, a class that requires a five page book review every other week, and an online course with major papers due every two weeks, I've been swamped academically. On top of that, I'm in charge of the Club Hockey Team on campus and the amount of time that takes up is borderline appalling. Lastly, I work on campus and have increased responsibilities as a Student Supervisor this semester. I hope this doesn't seem like I'm whining, because I've taken all of these positions of my own volition. I just hope that this helps explain my disappearance the last month and a half or so.

All of this responsibility and work has forced me to become even more cognizant of where my time and energy goes. The following is a short list of what I have learned since the beginning of the school year:

• If you feel absolutely swamped by everything you have to do, bring order to your immediate surroundings. At first, I thought I was using this as an escape mechanism to keep from having to do any real work. Instead of jumping right into a pile of homework, I would take 15 minutes to clean my desk or take care of the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen. However, taking this time allows you to get into your homework or other odious task while you're on a roll. Knock out something small and easy before the hard part and you'll carry that momentum!
• Don't organize something you can throw away. In the past, I've had individual 1" binders for each of my classes. They would get filled up with mostly useless information that would never be read again. This semester, I have one manila folder for each class (and most of them have no more than one paper in them). For every document I receive in class, I ask myself, "Can I find this online?", and "Will I ever look at this again?" More often than not I can throw it away with full confidence knowing that if I ever need it again, I can easily find it again on the World Wide Web. The next step is to scan returned papers/homework and then trash the paper copies. It is much easier to organize three papers than it is thirty.
• No matter how busy you get, take some time for yourself. This is one I have a hard time with, but I've been working on improving. Working out is a great way to just clear your mind for twenty minutes and just let some of that stress go. It doesn't have to be anything strenuous, just something you enjoy. Luckily for me, I play hockey so I can get out on the ice for an hour a couple times a week and just completely forget about everything that is weighing me down. I contend that it works the same way for whatever it is that you love to do. Find something you enjoy and do it. Not only will you benefit from the increased exercise, but your stress levels will decrease as well.
• There is a time and a place for multi-tasking. I know that many productivity bloggers out there expound the benefits of doing one thing at a time and doing it efficiently. I completely agree with this. However, I have learned that there are situations where it just wouldn't make sense for me to do this. For example, I work at a job where I spend a large amount of time behind a desk waiting for customers. I could wander around and find something work related to do. However, it is foolish for me to waste this potentially productive time. Sure, I may be interrupted by a customer occasionally, but if I can end my shift with half a paper written, that is more than what I had before! There is a time and a place for multi-tasking, take advantage of it.
• Say "No" and delegate. These two things will probably do the most to relieve you of your workload and give you immediate relief. They also happen to be the two things I have the most trouble doing. First of all, try to get out of uneeded or future commitments that are not very important. For example, in the past I have participated in several Fantasy Hockey leagues. I always end up falling behind on checking my roster and it just becomes another thing I have to worry about. So, instead of adding another small item to my list of things to take up my attention, I blatantly told my friends that I wouldn't be playing this year. This is just a small example but I hope to be able to transfer it to other aspects of my life. As for delegation, getting rid of the most time consuming or menial of tasks will do wonders for your psyche.

I know none of these are Earth shattering revelations but I challenge you to adopt even one of these over the next couple weeks and see how it affects your daily life. I may add to this list in the near future but I would love to hear your own tips for dealing with a high-stress life in the comments!