{"id":888,"date":"2021-03-31T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T17:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/?p=888"},"modified":"2020-09-03T11:17:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T16:17:00","slug":"how-to-prevent-college-burn-out-motivation-productivity-self-care-etc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/2021\/03\/31\/how-to-prevent-college-burn-out-motivation-productivity-self-care-etc\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Prevent College Burn Out | Motivation, Productivity, Self-Care, Etc."},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on the\u00a0glorification of being busy<\/a>\u00a0and how people pride themselves on how full their schedules are. It was also my one month into sophomore year update. The beginning of the fall semester was crazy, I have a lot more things to do this semester in terms of my job, classes, this blog, and my personal goals. My workload has practically\u00a0doubled<\/em>\u00a0compared to last semester.<\/p>\n

The moment the first week was over, I knew that I was going to burn out if I didn\u2019t make a change.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wish I could say that I took initiative on my own, but that\u2019s not the case. After that was Labor Day weekend, so I had four days (I don\u2019t have classes on Friday) to recoup. I didn\u2019t feel as exhausted the next week, but I knew it was because it was a shorter week.<\/p>\n

And then Hurricane Irma happened. While we didn\u2019t get hit in Georgia, about half the state lost power. Classes were canceled for me that Monday and Tuesday, so I had a five day weekend. (A lot of schools didn\u2019t open on Wednesday and Thursday either because they had lost power or flooded).<\/p>\n

Normally, I would\u2019ve done work or blogged during that time,\u00a0trying to be productive<\/a>, but my house lost wifi. Thankfully we didn\u2019t lose power like a lot of houses nearby did, but I couldn\u2019t do any blogging or much of school work.\u00a0I was forced into taking a break.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read books and watched T.V without any guilt. It was great! But I also really thought about what the hell I was going to do about my full schedule and\u00a0how to organize my time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, I\u2019ve worked out a system that has really been working. Here\u2019s a breakdown.<\/p>\n

Related \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The Glorification Of Busy | One Month Into Sophomore Year Update<\/a><\/p>\n

\/\/Motivation\/\/<\/h1>\n

At this point of the year, I was plenty motivated, but I knew that burnout came with a sense or lethargy. In order to keep going at the pace I need to go at, I need motivation.<\/p>\n

\/\/Look At The Big Picture<\/h2>\n

This can mean thinking about all the priorities you have, but looking at the big picture also means\u00a0to not take things as seriously.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think we\u2019re all guilty of feeling like we\u2019re not doing enough. I feel this constantly, but in the last month, I\u2019ve really given myself some leeway. If I don\u2019t go to the gym for a few days, I don\u2019t bat an eyelash because I know there is a reason for that. A few weeks ago, I didn\u2019t publish a blog post on a Thursday and I didn\u2019t feel bad at all. If I had done that just a few months ago, I would\u2019ve beaten myself up for not being consistent. That\u2019s a huge change for.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t consciously do this. It sort of happened on its own. There\u2019s power in not giving a crap. I\u2019ve learned not to be a perfectionist over the years and it\u2019s really paid off.<\/p>\n

Related<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On Living For The Future | The Collegiate Life Crisis<\/a><\/p>\n

\/\/Make A List Of All Your Responsibilities And Why You Do Them<\/h2>\n

Why are you doing all this? What goals are you trying to achieve? Having a really good reason to do something is the best motivation.\u00a0You don\u2019t need to write it down. It can be a mental list but make sure you have a good reason for every item on your to-do list. Otherwise, scratch it off.<\/p>\n

\/\/Change Your Work Environment<\/h2>\n

Staring out the same window and sitting in the same seat can become mundane and boring. Doing my work in a different environment always motivates me to get more work done. I\u2019ve recently started doing work in the dining room (I\u2019m doing that right now), which has really helped me get more done. I can only do this at night because I live with six other people and it gets loud.<\/p>\n

Related<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a010 Ways I Refocus Myself During The Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\/\/Cross The Easiest Thing Off Your To-Do List<\/h2>\n

Nothing motivates me more than crossing things off my to-do list. I know that most people say to \u201ceat the frog,\u201d meaning \u201cget your hardest task done first,\u201d but I think it\u2019s better to do the opposite. Don\u2019t work completely backward, but I think it\u2019s discouraging to spend two hours doing the longest task first. Spend the first-hour crossing three or four things off your to-do list before diving into the big project for the day because you\u2019ll feel great about getting so much done already. This\u2019ll give you some drive.<\/p>\n

\/\/Productivity & Organization\/\/<\/h1>\n

\/\/Make A Weekly To-Do List<\/h2>\n

I have a planner, but in the last few weeks, I\u2019ve been using a notebook. My planner contains all the test dates and due dates for the semester. I use that to create a comprehensive weekly (Mon-Thurs) and weekend (Fri-Sun) to-do lists. This has helped me so much! Aside from class times and appointments, I control the rest of my schedule. I don\u2019t need to do anything at a specific time. My planner didn\u2019t have enough room for my extensive to-do lists, so I write out all my academic, blogging, and personal to-dos in the notebook.<\/p>\n

\/\/Know When You\u2019re Doing What<\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be concrete, but you need to organize your time in a productive way. Know your appointments, when you have class, work, etc.<\/p>\n

\/\/Know When You\u2019re Most Productive And How You Work<\/h2>\n

I work so much faster the day before things are due. I know many people preach to get things done early, but that doesn\u2019t always work for me. I start early when it comes to big projects, but there are some assignments where my time is spent more productively the night before. For example, I research and outline my essays early, but I can never get myself to write the entire essay until the day before it\u2019s due. Whenever I try, I end up staring at a word document for an hour, procrastinating by reading blog posts.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t help you. You know yourself better than anyone. If waiting till the last minute works for you and you still get a good grade, go for it.<\/p>\n

Other Productivity Posts<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0This isn\u2019t a post on productivity. These are just things that have specifically helped me prevent burnout. Here are some of my other posts on this topic.<\/em><\/p>\n