on prioritizing

Now, I know that prioritizing is hard. Believe me, I know very well.
I mean, if I had it my way I would be going to get frozen yogurt with my best friends every night, spending hours cooking and baking each week, and then spending any remaining free time with my boyfriend and at the mall spending all the money I definitely don't have.
But, unfortunately, college is a lot different than high school or your summer life. Here, if your like me, you have to pay for your own school but you have no one to answer to; Who's going to make you go to class? Write your papers? Take your tests?
The answer is no one, except for yourself.

Here are a couple of things I do to help motivate and force myself do what I need to do:

1. Get a planner. I have a really cute one courtesy of one of my best friends. I keep everything I need in it. It even has a small pocket to keep things; I keep to do lists and grocery lists handy. For each day I have written out what I need to do (I did this when I made plans/got the syllabus for my classes) and fill in the spaces as the days go on. That way everything I need to do is available for me to see and be reminded of.

2. Have a good motivating friend. And this goes both ways. My best friend Meigan is my motivator and I am hers. We push each other and remind each other of what we need to do and what we want to accomplish. We set up study dates that can't be backed out of unless there is serious emergency, we remind each other every day of what we want to accomplish (we remind each other we need to work out, eat better, etc.) and get a jump start on what needs to get done.

3. Minimize distractions where ever you choose to get things accomplished. And this can be hard if you're a serious social butterfly like me. I have the tendency to make friends where every I go to get anything done, so sometimes I get seriously distracted. I try and go places where people have to be quiet (6th floor of the annex!) or where there won't be many people.

Like I said, it's not hard and prioritizing is a lot of self control. But having good friends can make it so much easier. :o)

Now, I know that prioritizing is hard. Believe me, I know very well.
I mean, if I had it my way I would be going to get frozen yogurt with my best friends every night, spending hours cooking and baking each week, and then spending any remaining free time with my boyfriend and at the mall spending all the money I definitely don't have.
But, unfortunately, college is a lot different than high school or your summer life. Here, if your like me, you have to pay for your own school but you have no one to answer to; Who's going to make you go to class? Write your papers? Take your tests?
The answer is no one, except for yourself.

Here are a couple of things I do to help motivate and force myself do what I need to do:

1. Get a planner. I have a really cute one courtesy of one of my best friends. I keep everything I need in it. It even has a small pocket to keep things; I keep to do lists and grocery lists handy. For each day I have written out what I need to do (I did this when I made plans/got the syllabus for my classes) and fill in the spaces as the days go on. That way everything I need to do is available for me to see and be reminded of.

2. Have a good motivating friend. And this goes both ways. My best friend Meigan is my motivator and I am hers. We push each other and remind each other of what we need to do and what we want to accomplish. We set up study dates that can't be backed out of unless there is serious emergency, we remind each other every day of what we want to accomplish (we remind each other we need to work out, eat better, etc.) and get a jump start on what needs to get done.

3. Minimize distractions where ever you choose to get things accomplished. And this can be hard if you're a serious social butterfly like me. I have the tendency to make friends where every I go to get anything done, so sometimes I get seriously distracted. I try and go places where people have to be quiet (6th floor of the annex!) or where there won't be many people.

Like I said, it's not hard and prioritizing is a lot of self control. But having good friends can make it so much easier. :o)