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How do you stay focused on long term goals and avoid feeling overwhelmed, especially with distractions and independence that comes with college life?
I am looking for advice to better balance life, work, school, and social life, while being successful in my college career.
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Gayle’s Answer
To be able to balance life, work, school and social life, it is important to prioritize from a long-term perspective and to try to step back from immediate gratification. It is also a time to be a little selfish focusing on you and not others. Determine what it is you want, vs thinking about what makes others happy. With this self focus, you can stay in tune to your own goals you have set forth for your future
Paint the future in your mind. How does it look? Do a 1, 5, 10, 20 year goal. Take it all the way to retirement (although I know that is a long way off). Write down these goals and expand on them over time each week as you form more basis to what you want. As you do this, you will even find that you goals may shift over time. That is OK too as you grow, learn and experience life. Goal shifting is all part of life.
Try to learn from every experience you have in life; the good and bad. Evaluate if these experiences are in tune with you achieving your long-term goals or not. If they are not, adjust your experiences. But don't beat yourself up over making mistakes. Just learn from them so you don't continue down that same path. Evaluate often so you don't stray too far off from your goals.
Have fun while in college, but only once you have your obligations taken care of. For me, that meant working really hard to complete my assignments fully before engaging in much social or extracurricular activities. I would set a schedule each week for everything I had on my plate and would divide it up into compartments in my mind and write on a physical calendar. I would start with work - what tasks, meetings, commitments do I need to accomplish this week at work. What are my working hours for the week - and how will I divide these tasks up. Then I would move my mind to school. What time are my classes, what assignments are due, what exams will I have and how long do I need to complete these (studying time, group time, homework time). I would enter in meal time (just to ensure I took time for myself to eat 3 meals a day and have a break for my mind). I would also enter in sleep time, as that is equally important. From there I would evaluate what time I had left for family, life in general and social engagements. Any commitments I had I would write them down. This structure allowed me to really see my available time and allowed me to stay on task, not overcommit, and not feel overwhelmed, and still have time for some down time, social time and fun.
I have kept with this same method to this day, long after college. By breaking things down into chunks in my day, it has allowed me stay on track with my goals (and yes, my goals have shifted), handle emergencies that arise and be able to adjust accordingly, and keep my stress levels way down as it allows you to shift your focus on concrete commitments in a spelled out focused manner and you can physically visualize what you will do for the day. Having the spelled out long term goals which align with your values allows you to have a vision your are shooting for, and allows you to shift this vision of your future self at your discretion.
Paint the future in your mind. How does it look? Do a 1, 5, 10, 20 year goal. Take it all the way to retirement (although I know that is a long way off). Write down these goals and expand on them over time each week as you form more basis to what you want. As you do this, you will even find that you goals may shift over time. That is OK too as you grow, learn and experience life. Goal shifting is all part of life.
Try to learn from every experience you have in life; the good and bad. Evaluate if these experiences are in tune with you achieving your long-term goals or not. If they are not, adjust your experiences. But don't beat yourself up over making mistakes. Just learn from them so you don't continue down that same path. Evaluate often so you don't stray too far off from your goals.
Have fun while in college, but only once you have your obligations taken care of. For me, that meant working really hard to complete my assignments fully before engaging in much social or extracurricular activities. I would set a schedule each week for everything I had on my plate and would divide it up into compartments in my mind and write on a physical calendar. I would start with work - what tasks, meetings, commitments do I need to accomplish this week at work. What are my working hours for the week - and how will I divide these tasks up. Then I would move my mind to school. What time are my classes, what assignments are due, what exams will I have and how long do I need to complete these (studying time, group time, homework time). I would enter in meal time (just to ensure I took time for myself to eat 3 meals a day and have a break for my mind). I would also enter in sleep time, as that is equally important. From there I would evaluate what time I had left for family, life in general and social engagements. Any commitments I had I would write them down. This structure allowed me to really see my available time and allowed me to stay on task, not overcommit, and not feel overwhelmed, and still have time for some down time, social time and fun.
I have kept with this same method to this day, long after college. By breaking things down into chunks in my day, it has allowed me stay on track with my goals (and yes, my goals have shifted), handle emergencies that arise and be able to adjust accordingly, and keep my stress levels way down as it allows you to shift your focus on concrete commitments in a spelled out focused manner and you can physically visualize what you will do for the day. Having the spelled out long term goals which align with your values allows you to have a vision your are shooting for, and allows you to shift this vision of your future self at your discretion.
Updated
Jason’s Answer
Don't try to tackle everything at once.
Procrastination is your biggest enemy. Planning is key.
When you get your syllabus, figure out your schedule and add it to your calendar.
- Econ 101: 1-hour class, 2 hours homework, 1 hour study
- Chem 101: 1-hour class, 2-hour lab, 2 hours homework, 3 hours study, 1-hour study group
etc.
Knowing this can help you work with your professors as well. If you have overlapping large assignments and you can identify those ahead of time, try to work them out in your schedule. If you can't reconcile them, discuss them with your professors. They'll be impressed you're thinking ahead and might have suggestions.
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Check online reviews to see if a class might need more time. Make a weekly plan. Manage your time well. Treat college like a job, and make sure you're using your time wisely each day.
When I started, I left breaks between classes on purpose. I filled my day with classes, studying, and homework. After a semester, you should have good habits, making it easier each time.
Stay focused on your goal. Graduate, get a job or internship. If things get tough, adjust your schedule but keep your goal in mind. It might not always be fun, but if you stay focused, time will pass quickly, and you won't regret using it well. You'll regret wasting it, though.
Good luck!
Procrastination is your biggest enemy. Planning is key.
When you get your syllabus, figure out your schedule and add it to your calendar.
- Econ 101: 1-hour class, 2 hours homework, 1 hour study
- Chem 101: 1-hour class, 2-hour lab, 2 hours homework, 3 hours study, 1-hour study group
etc.
Knowing this can help you work with your professors as well. If you have overlapping large assignments and you can identify those ahead of time, try to work them out in your schedule. If you can't reconcile them, discuss them with your professors. They'll be impressed you're thinking ahead and might have suggestions.
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Check online reviews to see if a class might need more time. Make a weekly plan. Manage your time well. Treat college like a job, and make sure you're using your time wisely each day.
When I started, I left breaks between classes on purpose. I filled my day with classes, studying, and homework. After a semester, you should have good habits, making it easier each time.
Stay focused on your goal. Graduate, get a job or internship. If things get tough, adjust your schedule but keep your goal in mind. It might not always be fun, but if you stay focused, time will pass quickly, and you won't regret using it well. You'll regret wasting it, though.
Good luck!
Updated
christian’s Answer
Life consists of choices you make now,which depend on your insightful knowledge of yourself,interms of your capabilities, strength and weaknesses,towards advancing your goals. Career is one of the good goals of your life, because it defined the work you do,which determines the food on your table. Adults aim to be self sufficient in terms of supporting themselves without help later in life and your work is key to this,so career and work or job is therefore a top priority and comes first before social life..
So give your career enough attention,do your assignments diligently taking nothing for granted. Decline all social engagements that clash with your career,in fact so long as you are alive social interaction must continue one way or the other. Parties never end so if you missed one today due to career engagement,never worry another party will definitely show up.
When you are free from career or work commitments then engage socially but with a good purpose. If you are to attend any party ask for the environment,in terms of use of alcohol or drugs? Avoid such gatherings because the drugs are intoxicating and could become a bad habit,meaning you become dependent on them and never be able to save money. Worse still their use causes loss of focus and job related issues arise including loss of job meaning you can no longer support yourself.
This is the reason most drug dealers turn to crime to fuel their addictions.
Once you turn to crime for even one single day,you are heading down a spiral of social maladjustments in society.
For men, you either end up in prison,or hospital or at worst in the grave going down the spiral of social maladjustments which again is 100% avoidable,by choices you make today.
Catching fun sounds good but don't sacrifice your secure future at the expense of momentary fun experience. It is not worth the stakes. Good things never end.
In conclusion,stay focused on your career because it gives you a good job on the future which puts food on your table. Staying focused on your career keeps you away from circle of drug dealing social , party crazy friends who are not worth the stakes.
Seek for inspiration and passion in whatever you do because it helps you stay focused and undistracted.
For me , meditation in the word of God gives me the inner strength to stay focused and move on on some difficult days, despite immediate challenges. Mark you challenges are part and parcel of life. They must come not through any fault of yours but your attention, attitude and action whenever the challenge comes makes the whole difference.
Your composure and refusal to give negative vibes or energy any space by being focused,is what determines your peace and not necessary the person distracting you.
The balance is real,infact when you get it, activities and events fall in line sequentially such that if you missed one unavoidably another shows up and most importantly you have inner peace and love clean and straight. It is all in the power of choices you make and not allowing emotions to over run you thinking faculties . Example why must you attend an alcohol plying party and drink alcohol when you know it would make you tipsy and at the same time complain that you were taken advantage of?
Simple choice of staying away from the party stops all the drama of being taken advantage of , subsequent investigation and prosecution. Another party without alcohol being plied or you refusing to indulge also is another option.
A lady goes to a make friends house party drinks to stupor and complains that she was raped? That she didn't want sex. Fine then the right balance is to decline the invitation to home party. Keep a date in an public space or eatery. Period . Your choices determine to a large extent events in your life. Yes you can claim freedom of everything and win cases but ," fleeing unrighteousness or youthfulness lusts is a better approach.
So give your career enough attention,do your assignments diligently taking nothing for granted. Decline all social engagements that clash with your career,in fact so long as you are alive social interaction must continue one way or the other. Parties never end so if you missed one today due to career engagement,never worry another party will definitely show up.
When you are free from career or work commitments then engage socially but with a good purpose. If you are to attend any party ask for the environment,in terms of use of alcohol or drugs? Avoid such gatherings because the drugs are intoxicating and could become a bad habit,meaning you become dependent on them and never be able to save money. Worse still their use causes loss of focus and job related issues arise including loss of job meaning you can no longer support yourself.
This is the reason most drug dealers turn to crime to fuel their addictions.
Once you turn to crime for even one single day,you are heading down a spiral of social maladjustments in society.
For men, you either end up in prison,or hospital or at worst in the grave going down the spiral of social maladjustments which again is 100% avoidable,by choices you make today.
Catching fun sounds good but don't sacrifice your secure future at the expense of momentary fun experience. It is not worth the stakes. Good things never end.
In conclusion,stay focused on your career because it gives you a good job on the future which puts food on your table. Staying focused on your career keeps you away from circle of drug dealing social , party crazy friends who are not worth the stakes.
Seek for inspiration and passion in whatever you do because it helps you stay focused and undistracted.
For me , meditation in the word of God gives me the inner strength to stay focused and move on on some difficult days, despite immediate challenges. Mark you challenges are part and parcel of life. They must come not through any fault of yours but your attention, attitude and action whenever the challenge comes makes the whole difference.
Your composure and refusal to give negative vibes or energy any space by being focused,is what determines your peace and not necessary the person distracting you.
The balance is real,infact when you get it, activities and events fall in line sequentially such that if you missed one unavoidably another shows up and most importantly you have inner peace and love clean and straight. It is all in the power of choices you make and not allowing emotions to over run you thinking faculties . Example why must you attend an alcohol plying party and drink alcohol when you know it would make you tipsy and at the same time complain that you were taken advantage of?
Simple choice of staying away from the party stops all the drama of being taken advantage of , subsequent investigation and prosecution. Another party without alcohol being plied or you refusing to indulge also is another option.
A lady goes to a make friends house party drinks to stupor and complains that she was raped? That she didn't want sex. Fine then the right balance is to decline the invitation to home party. Keep a date in an public space or eatery. Period . Your choices determine to a large extent events in your life. Yes you can claim freedom of everything and win cases but ," fleeing unrighteousness or youthfulness lusts is a better approach.