THE WINDSTORM OF NOVEMBER

/in /by

I think of November as the windstorm of the term: Classes, seminars, labs and quizzes continue while due dates are becoming closer and closer for papers, projects and presentations. There are a few things you can do now to manage your courses as deadlines crowd in, but first, here are some traps to avoid.

Tempting Traps:

  • Skipping a few classes to catch up on projects or assignments
  • Dropping gym and your workout schedule to spend more time on assignments and studying for quizzes
  • Dropping the time you spend scheduling and keeping your calendar up to date
  • Cutting out all R&R to have more time for assignments and projects
  • Assuming all of your group members will do their part to your standards and in a timely fashion.

Okay, most of us have cut these corners from time to time, and most of us have cut those corners a little too fine and regretted it. So I’m not going to say never do any of those short-term time buys. I’m saying track yourself to see that they don’t get out of hand.

I’m also saying, get creative about how you buy time. If gym time can be replaced by jogging to class, bonus. If meetings with your group are taking too much time, set up ZOOM sessions, email agendas, and set time targets at the beginning of the meeting. If Netflix is your R&R, schedule it so that it stays in its own corral.

So much for what not to do. Let’s look at what you can do to manage the load that is going to increase from now until finals.

Get Strategic:

To plan your strategy for staying on top, take the time to analyze (a) what needs to get done when and (b) what you are going to need to do to be able to get it done to your desired, realistic standard.

First, review your syllabi and your schedule for due dates and times you have for completing the work. Some revision may be needed, and awareness of course conflicts sooner rather than later means that you can more easily adapt. If you know, for example, that a group presentation in one course falls on the same day as the deadline for a term paper, you will probably get more of the paper done earlier than later.

Then, being strategic about what you are going to need to be able to perform well means analyzing what your strengths and soft spots appear to be this term. What are your academic performance strengths? Push to use them in group projects as well in individual assignments.

What are your soft spots? Do papers take forever, and is your writing less than polished? Do multiple choice quizzes or types of exam questions trip you, even when you know the material? Do you have a difficult time giving presentations or answering questions during a presentation? Do you have a problem with preparing a literature review, or organizing a portfolio presentation? Is gathering information from lectures or readings a challenge? Do you find your time gets away from you during the week, even with the best of intentions?

You have time to address your particular Achilles’ heel proactively. For each of the very common challenge areas I just mentioned, there are campus resources, websites, and workshops that address them. 

Part of my work is coaching students through this strategic planning, finding, choosing and using the resources that meet the need,  and then carrying the plan through, adjusting as needed. If you think of your academic career as a ship in a storm, you are the captain. My role is navigator when it gets choppy. Connect with me if this approach sounds like the approach for you [email protected] 

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.