Dear Reader,
I don't know about you, but I seem to be getting worse and
worse at making plans and organising time for things. I'll look at my schedule
for the day, see a few lectures dotted about and immediately think – ‘Oh no – I
haven't got time for that coffee I was meant to be having with a friend.'
It is almost like I have calendar drunk goggles on– as soon
as I look at my planner, everything magnifies and swells to take up all my time
so I couldn't possibly squeeze anything else in and I immediately rush around
at 100 miles an hour, stress flying off me like streamers in the wind.
Sometimes as soon as someone suggests a plan, I immediately
think: ‘I haven't got time for that!' and get a surge of panic when I haven't
even looked at my timetable yet!
Granted, there are actually those times where I am literally
running around like a headless chicken on speed with a million things to do and
deadlines to meet – such is the uni life. Most of the time, however, I've found
– I have wayyyy more time than I usually think I do.
As a person who is pretty prone to stress and negative
thinking, I've learned that giving yourself a moment to sit back and
pre-prepare for those hectic moments immediately makes your problems look ten
times smaller.
If you just look at the gaps in your schedule rather than
the jam-packed sections, things look a lot more manageable, especially if you
lay things out and plan them ahead in your planner or phone. This is key to
just feeling less stressed and giving yourself time to do other things that you
actually want to be doing – like seeing that film at the cinema, or finally
having lunch with that one friend you said you'd have lunch with about a year
and a half ago, who you've been snap chatting with an interspersed ‘I miss you,
I HAVE to see you' every few weeks. (Don't try and deny it, we're all guilty.)
A lot of the time I think we feel guilty if we spend our
time relaxing or doing things that aren't productive – especially when we have
a lot on in our school/work lives, but I think it's so important to just
breathe. Take that time for yourself to clear your head - self-love and all
that! Its ok if you still feel guilty about not getting on with ‘Important'
stuff, but I think it's all about balance. Yes get your work done, but once
it's done treat yourself! It's so important to not run yourself flat and bury
yourself so much in work and stress that it overwhelms you.
I think either you're born a list person or you're not. I
for one, am very much a list person – I write lists of the lists I've written.
Everything I need to do in a day I write down and once everything is off that
list – even if it means tying it over to tomorrow's list, then I can relax.
Sometimes even mundane things like ‘cut your nails' or ‘wash your hair' are one
there. This helps disperse the big daunting tasks a bit and makes crossing
things off a little less arduous. Even if the idea of lists make you feel a bit
queasy – just give it a go.
Managing time is a skill that takes a lot of refining and
working out. I've been at Uni for months now and I've been doing life for a
lifetime and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance my time effectively!
Everyone needs different amounts of time for different things, so making sure
you know how much you need is ideal.
Knowing where to cut back is also key. I don't know about
you but I am the type of person who wants to do EVERYTHING. Every club, class,
activity, I want to be a part of it and try it out. The same goes for
committees, plans, and even friendships, so if you're anything like me, the
notion of cutting some of those things out of your life might seem heinous.
It is often far harder to say no to something than to say
yes. However, after you've made that hard push for a no and the fear of letting
anyone down has subsided, you suddenly find you have a little more breathing
room. I'm not saying get rid of everything you find fun and enjoyable and
practically can do without – just the things that admittedly aren't making you
any happier, or that is just asking too much of you at the current time. Pass
times and hobbies should add something to your life not be draining. The same
goes for friendships and relationships – make time for them if they're worth
it, but if they become a burden more than a gift, maybe it's time to think
whether it's a benefit to your life and your time and be just that little bit
selfish (much easier said than done, I know).
So there we have it, a rather rambling, longwinded way of
sharing a few thoughts on making time or even making use of your time if you
like!
Hebe x
As long as you make time for me I'm HAPPY! X
ReplyDeleteAhhhh Loz back at it again with wholesome comments xx
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