It never takes long. A new semester starts (or year, or whatever increments of time your life refreshes on) with excitement about the new projects ahead. Your load seems light as you begin exploring your new roles with enthusiasm and curiosity. Unfortunately the honeymoon doesn’t last long: deadlines loom and requirements pile up. Suddenly you find yourself looking forward to the weekend and “just getting through” the week. Soon you’ll be looking forward to summer, and the end of the drudgery that your life seems to have become.
How does this happen so quickly?
When you’re unloaded, it is easy to forget how demanding things were before break. We have this vague sense that we worked pretty hard last semester, but it doesn’t translate into making different choices in the present.
- We sign up for one too many classes (again).
- We agree to one too many activities (again).
- We take on one too many hours at work (again).
- We say yes to one too many random requests (again).
How to break the cycle
I used to spend a lot of time talking about the power of routines. Then I shifted to what I called “time budgeting.” My productivity practice continues to evolve, but these systems have one key feature that turns out to be the only thing that actually matters:
Make one decision that actually makes a thousand more.
Some people call these principles
When you establish a set of guiding principles, you know how to handle any situation. You can change them any time you like, but setting your priorities frees you from the onslaught of demands for your time.
Example: it is a priority for me to be home for dinner with my family and spend time with my kids before they go to bed.
- What happens if 5 o’clock rolls around and I’m not ready for my lecture tomorrow morning? I go home and eat dinner with my family.
- What happens if I didn’t finish writing an assignment? I go home and eat dinner with my family.
- What happens if I worked through the time I usually spend at the gym? I go home and eat dinner with my family.
Am I perfect? Nope.
But most of the time I act according to my priorities. The result is that I am forced to find creative ways to get the other things done. Which I always manage to do (and you will too).
Stressed because you have too much school work?
- Commit to a time to go to the gym this afternoon. Then get to work.
- Make plans to have dinner with your friends this evening. Then get to work.
- Plan a date for tomorrow with your romantic interest. Then get to work.
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