March Madness!

It’s back! One more sign that normal will return after we’ve marked the one year anniversary of the pandemic! COVID-19 wiped out the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2020, but like us, the NCAA adjusted, adapted, and this weekend the single biggest college sports event is back, as 68 teams compete over the next two-and-a-half weeks. Basketball rules as tens of millions watch and many compete in bracket betting pools to predict the patterns of wins. 

The timing of March Madness matches students’ own “March Madness”, as exams for most are shortly after the last game. Between now and then, there are several rounds to win–the papers, the labs, the presentations, the proposals, the quizzes, the group projects.

There’s one key difference, however. While there’s only one overall NCAA champion, and only one winner in each betting pool, each student who stays on their game will likely win their year.

The bracket grid you can bet on for these last weeks is your planner. (You won’t be surprised that I always bet on time management). Review last week’s blog on staying the course. Plot these last two or three weeks in your planner. Review your planner each night. Each night adjust, adapt and carry forward. Don’t be a perfectionist. Eat well, sleep well, meditate, take short breaks, exercise.

And reward yourself for each effort, including the short breaks. The results you gain will be their own reward; rewarding for effort helps top up the fuel tank for that final lap.

I’m going to leave you to work through your own March Madness grid, but keep me posted [email protected] . Like the March Madness bracket pools, you don’t have to have a perfect grid to win. And unlike the betting pools-there can be many, many winners. If you’ve been following along here, I’m counting on you to be one of them.