Too much going on....

 

Welcome back!  

For many of us, it's the first week of classes.  Another semester begins.  And, while this may bring a bit of excitement for new things to learn, new people to meet, and a chance to start anew, it can also mean a lot of changes to adjust to at once.  I generally find myself exhausted after the first week of classes.  There is just so much going on - questions, emails, classes, and adjusting my schedule.  It can be very overwhelming.  So, if you find yourself also feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, here are some things that can help:

1) Breathe! - Not everything has to be done at once.  And, it's ok if things aren't perfect.  Despite my best efforts, after 17 years of teaching there's still always at least one typo in my syllabus.  And, you know what?  It's never ended up being that big of a deal.  Perfection is overrated.  So, take a deep breath and know that the only thing you have to do at this moment is that - breathe.

2) Schedule Downtime - Take a few moments to pencil in some downtime in your schedule for this week. That can be time spent watching tv, reading a fun book, sleeping, spending time with friends, or whatever activity you find refreshing and re-energizing.  Scheduling in time to take care of yourself and your health in advance will save you time in the long run.  Taking regular time to rest means that you're a lot less likely to be forced to rest because of exhaustion or illness.  It also means that when you are trying to be productive, you'll be a lot more effective at it.

3) Make Time to Plan - Taking time each week to plan things out will make you much more productive and effective.  In the first week of classes, this is particularly important.  There's simply no way to remember everything that you have going on.  As a student, I'd sit down with my planner and all of my syllabi at the end of the week. I'd look through each syllabus, put important dates in my planner, and even put reminders in a week or two ahead of time for big papers, projects, or tests.  As a professor, not much has changed.  I spend time creating a combined chart that shows what all of my classes are doing each week and what assignments they have due.  Then I create a checklist of weekly items that I have to do.  That gets printed off and taped into my planner/bujo. Each week I sit down and plan out the next week using these tools - alotting specific items to each day of the week.  

4) Plan for the Unexpected - There will always be something that doesn't go according to plan or that pops up during week 1.  When that happens, just do your best to roll with it.  This week we've got snow in the forecast - again - for both Thursday and Saturday.  (I swear I live in the South!) So, things should get interesting.  If you can, plan some buffer time in your schedule throughout the week to deal with the unexpected.  And, if that's not an option, just remember your priorities.  Your health, well-being, and your family should come first.  Everything else can wait.

Good luck this week!