Don’t burn your candle at both ends

Four ways to upgrade your life.

I am a hypocrite writing this article. Do as I say, not as I do. 

I’ve worked hard to get where I am. During my freshman year, I took 17 credits while working the desk in Engel Hall. I joined the band in the second semester. Then I transferred to office jobs my sophomore year. I started writing for the Clocktower around that time. At one point I was in the bell choir. Now I’m the president of the Communication Club. 

Let’s just say that my candle is fancy and has three wicks, and all have been soaked in alcohol and are aflame. Don’t worry about me, I have it under control. 

Here are four ways that I survive this schedule and you can too:

1. Stay organized.

Google Calendar is my guilty pleasure. The first step to this obsession is just putting your classes on the calendar. Then you add your work schedule. One day you find yourself inviting people to hangout via a Google Calendar invite, and then there is no escape.

When you can see your full schedule, life is smoother. I can schedule appointments and meetings without struggling to remember what my days look like. Starting new semesters is a breeze when classes and work are neatly organized.

2. Keep ahead of it.

The snowball effect is real. Update your schedule regularly so you don’t miss appointments. Do your homework and turn it in on time. Even if your professor has no late policy, it is very difficult to catch up. Putting it off usually ends up in stress and one all-nighter at the end of the semester. If your professor doesn’t accept late work, missing assignments are a slip-n-slide to the bottom.

3. Maintain your sleep. 

I recently acquired an old Fitbit model to track my heartrate and learned that I am not as good at sleeping as I thought I was. Science tells us that college-aged students should get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Energy drinks and sugar can not replace the rest and restoration from sleep. But you already know all that.

4. Reserve time for yourself.

Going back to the schedule, one thing to include is a break. Scheduling four classes back to back is one of the worst decisions I made in my college career. My best time in college was when I got up at 6 a.m. and had the morning to myself before class at 9 a.m. This doesn’t work for everyone, but scheduling some time to be “unbusy” is important for maintaining your stress levels.

By: Annelise Jacobs