As the school year approaches, many emotions being to overtake us. You feel everything from the tingle of excitement that comes right before seeing your best friends to the overwhelming stress of getting organized and back into "school mode." So, how do you manage all of this?
There is no magic answer. Some may think it gets easier the more times that you do it, but it really doesn't. The first couple of weeks are a complete hurricane and the best thing to do is just try and keep your head above water. There is one thing, however, that could help make your semester a successful one.
I am an unusual college student. I have a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder and I like things be completely organized and neatly in place. Needless to say, the first couple of weeks test my patience.
One thing that I have learned that really helped me through the hectic starts was beginning the year with a process that I call "setting habits."
Normally habits are things that you can not set, rather they are developed over time. You do things subconsciously and, before you know it, you begin repeating those same things over and over. According to research, actions typically take two weeks of repetition to become habitual.
Some habits are good and some are bad. For instance, brushing your teeth each and every night is a good habit to have so that you have a pretty smile for the crush you are about to meet this school year. A bad habit would be pushing your homework off till the very last second. Who wants to do it right away, though? Getting used to pushing deadlines and procrastinating is a trend to avoid if you want to be successful this semester.
Wouldn't it be beneficial if we could set our own habits? I mean, who is stopping you from setting them?
My first couple of weeks are some of my most crucial weeks. My habits and decisions during the first two of weeks can set the trend for the rest of the semester. If I go out to eat a lot the first few weeks, I know that I probably won't be cooking much in the semester and the Puertas boxes will pile up in my fridge. It's important to start strong.
As this school year starts, I challenge you. Set your own habits. If you want to workout and get into better shape, make sure those first couple of weeks you are in the gym, even when you don't want to be. If you don't want to wait until the last minute to do your homework, do it as soon as it is assigned those first couple of weeks.
My best advice for creating habits that will help you have a successful semester is to identify areas that you'd like to improve in and then establish achievable, realistic goals that will help you see your progress in those areas. If you want to achieve your best in a specific course, set goals of going to each class meeting, meeting individually with your professor or TA to help prepare for the first exam or review topics that were confusing to you and schedule specific times for when you will study for that course. Make sure that your goals are realistic and that you don't allow yourself to take a "day off." Habits do not form overnight, but if you are able to stick to your goals and schedule, then you will be successful.
Let me make this clear, it will not be easy. Do your best to ignore the distractions and focus on yourself and what goals you want to accomplish. The first couple of weeks is not a time to duck your responsibilities, it's habit season.
