Time Management + Mental Health
What can we do to prioritize our mental health AND give our best effort to our work?
How can students manage a stressful part of their lives with as little anxiety as possible?
My Advice:
Find a system that works for you! Everyone needs some kind of organizational system to maximize time management and minimize stress. I recommend creating some sort of calendar or spreadsheet for yourself before you even start your application process. This will help you get organized and prevent you from falling behind. The spreadsheet I used to complete my applications was a schedule I followed where I did all the essays for a school on one day, and the very next day I would edit those essays. That way in two days I would be done with an entire school’s supplemental essays. This helped me get ahead of all my deadlines and gave me plenty of time to double and triple check my applications. However, this type of schedule may not work for everyone. When creating your system, find a method YOU like and stick to it. The most important thing is just creating a system and not giving up on it! Great results and minimal stress will follow.
Resources:
These are links to some articles I’ve found that analyze student behavior and detail the struggles students face in high school. Skim some of these to learn more about the negative effects excessive stress and anxiety may have on your life. If you want to avoid these problems, make sure you pace yourself when working on your applications and avoid letting work pile up until the last minute. Time management is key, but no one way of organization works for everyone. Make sure you find what works for you. Creating a productive system for yourself is crucial to managing your workload and decreasing stress.
Even though college may seem like the most important thing right now, it is not the end of the world! What college you go to does not determine your self worth. Just make sure to try your best and put give the process your best effort. You can do it!
Remember that creating a good balance between school and free time is the key to staying happy and motivated throughout this process. Take a break and go for a walk, read a book, or watch a new tv show. Although you may be getting work done, dedicating your whole life to applications will still end up increasing your stress levels.