As midterms week approaches, it seems papers, quizzes and everything else have started to pile up. Regardless of how many classes each of us may be taking, it's still stressful to complete assignments amidst other priorities. But one thing is important to remember, we all need our rest.
A common thing heard among college students is their lack of proper sleep. There can be various reasons for this but not getting enough sleep on a regular basis can affect our performance on daily tasks, from simply getting out of bed on time to having the energy to study for an upcoming test. It's true, sometimes it feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. But it's not worth sacrificing sleep over. It'll only affect the progress of the next day and possibly cause a setback on work.
College students also regularly discuss how many coffees they have chugged throughout the day. There are people who brag about being on their third cup of coffee by noon. This isn't only unhealthy, it's also unnecessary. Enjoying coffee as part of your daily routine is one thing but overcompensating loss of sleep with drinking too much caffeine is an issue.
There is also the culture of romanticizing overworking ourselves. Americans in particular are known for overworking themselves at their 9 to 5 jobs and it's most common in large cities like New York. Overworking ourselves usually makes the rest of our activities suffer. We all need to learn how to take a step back from our jobs, responsibilities, and priorities for even five minutes. Taking a small break isn't the end of the world and it may perhaps help with productivity in the long run.
Time management is an essential skill to learn in order to work productively. It's not always about how hard we work but how efficiently we work. Time can be managed using a simple planner or even our phones. Knowing how much time we need for each task can help us organize our day accordingly in order to squeeze everything in and complete them.
Everyone needs to find the method that works best for them and this can take some time. But when you do figure it out, stick to it and make sure you squeeze some time for yourself, too. Working towards goals is important but so is our mental health which needs some resting time.
