Dealing with a Change in Your Schedule

Getting on a schedule is one thing, but what happens when there is a dramatic change in your life? I have recently gone through a change in my life and it drastically diminished my productivity and my ability to keep a schedule. However, I found a solution, an amazingly simple solution.

The Story

At the beginning of spring semester, I had recently quit my job; the blogging world was calling me. I decided to go a semester without having an actual job. It was great. I had time to work on my blogs, research, and classes. I was able to work at a schedule that allowed me to go to bed and wake up at the same time, eat at the same time, write blog posts at the same time, and study at the same time. I was reading a lot of life hack blogs and I was mastering the advice.

Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. It was the end of the semester and I had found myself with an empty bank account. It was time to get a job!

Selling computers was taking most of my time. Some days I worked a night shift, others a day shift. My perfect schedule was destroyed.

Luckily, my life hack training has given me the ability to recognize when I am off track. My life hack GPS unit was indicating a cliff straight ahead.

The Solution

Instead of running around like my head was chopped off, I sat down and asked myself why I was having difficulties, because it was easily recognizable that, even though I was working, I had plenty of time available to write blog posts and study for my summer class.

My schedule was flawless before hand, which means my solution lied within the things that had changed.

I discovered that my mistake was misinterpreting what had changed. Work was not the change, because work just took the place of school. What had changed was the method I was using to deal with my schedule.

I took a look at my surroundings and quickly recognized what had changed. My room and desk were a mess. Even my car was a mess. I had allowed my irregular work schedule to deform my daily schedule. I wasn’t waking up and going to bed at the same time. My mind and body were confused.

Recognizing my mistake, I quickly began cleaning my room every day and going to bed at the same time; back to the basics. Something as simple as cleaning your room and making your bed when you wake up puts structure in your schedule making it easier for you to visualize your schedule as a whole.
Now I am back on schedule, and I feel that I have all the free time in the world.

Let’s Review – Rules for Handling a Change in Your Life

  • Keep with Basics
  • Continue to block out your day, even when the day is open for relaxation.
  • Do the simple things: make your bed, clean your room and car, and eat all of your meals.
  • Identify the Real Change: Many things are not a change in your life, but rather an alternative to something you had previously been doing. If that is the case, keep doing what you had been doing.
  • Don’t Procrastinate – if you notice that you have been less productive, ask “Why?” The longer you wait, the deeper the hole.

My Rule of Scheduling – Most things in life will occur at random (which is a good thing). However, random occurrences are difficult to put in the schedule. Therefore, the things that are guarantee should be put in your schedule. That way randomness can be appreciated, because you are not concerned with the small guaranteed tasks.


The Have Fun Misconception

When do you go out with friends? When do you have fun? For most college students, fun is when the sun goes down. But fun does not have to happen only at night. Spending time with friends during the day is possible and may increase your productivity.

“But we are busy during the day!”

It may seem that you do not have the time during the day to hang out with friends, but you actually do. First of all you need to ask yourself where your time during the day has gone. Maybe most of your day went to sleeping, because you stayed up half of the night. One concept that just does not make sense is taking a two hour nap so you can wake up and have some fun.

How much time did you spend checking your facebook account? If you didn’t check your facebook for a whole week, you probably could accumulate several hours you could spend with your friends.

Once it gets to be about 7 pm you may discover that your productivity really diminishes, and you sit around until it’s time for the evening’s gathering. Why not begin social functions at 7? It makes since doesn’t it?

Night vs Day

In my honest opinion fun does not have to be during the night. Think about it. Is there a stronger correlation between amount of fun and the time of day, or the amount of fun and who you are with? The answer is obvious. Friends do exist during the day!

Relaxation, Fun, Friends, and Excitement can be a part of your life. Integrate your friends within your day, don’t add extra time.

Increased Productivity

I do not have proof, but I hypothesize that by spending time with friends during evening hours will increase your productivity. Why? Because you have less time to work. One of the biggest productivity mistakes is allowing too much time to do a task. When you have more time to do a task, you are more likely to allow yourself breaks, check your facebook, grab a snack, or sit down and watch a TV show.

The Challenge

I am guilty of this misconception that night=fun. The challenge of overcoming this is that everyone has to participate. If 20 of your friends are going to hang out late at night, you are not going to tell them, “Hey guys, it’s too late for me.” You will miss out on a lot of fun if you do. Not because you won’t stay out late, but because you won’t be with your friends. Therefore, if you want to stop staying out till 2 am it will have to be a group effort among your friends to change the time that you spend together.


Things to do During Summer

Some students will spend their summers working, partying, and sitting in front of the TV or computer, but summers are an excellent time to explore new opportunities and grow as a person.

Internships

It is a late to apply for internships for this summer. If you are doing an internship, then great! I hope you enjoy yourself. But if you aren’t you can do two things to help you get an intern next summer. The first thing you should and can do is work on your resume. By working on your resume once a week for thirty minutes you will have a clean and organized resume that you can use to apply for internships.
The other thing you should do is begin searching for an internship and decide what type of intern you would like to do. It will take a lot of research. Deciding on an intern should not be a task you take lightly. After you come across a few internships you are interested in, spend your summer researching the internships and the information you will need for the intern. The more knowledge you have of the position the better cover letter you can write, and the more prepared you are for an interview.

Improve a Hobby

Do you have a hobby that you haven’t been able to do since last summer? School can take a lot of time away from us, but you should keep up with your hobbies. Attempt to take your hobby to the next level, or to a different area. For example, if you are a pianist (like me) who has spent your entire time at the piano playing classical music, begin to learn a new genre of music. Learn how to play jazz or compose your own piece.

Get a New Hobby

Ship Model
photo by KhayaL

If you aren’t a musician, maybe now is the time to get an instrument and teach yourself how to play. There are plenty of free lessons on the internet to help teach you. You are probably smart enough to teach yourself a few things. One thing I would love to do is build model ships (the real thing, not the cheap plastic stuff from the dollar store).

Improve a Skill

Are you a science major? Unfortunately, science majors rarely get the opportunity to work on their writing skills. Perhaps summer is the time that you can improve your writing skills. Or maybe you are a writer and you could study sciences.

Tangent: If you do want to be a writer you should consider studying things outside of writing. Though it is great to imagine becoming a New York Times bestselling author, that can take time, and you will need a job to support you. As a writer having a large database of knowledge will greatly increase your chances of getting employed.

Research

Summer is also a great time to work on an individual research project. If you are doing any type of historical research it is a great time to travel the country, visit libraries, find hidden text, discover ancient Native American cities inside Mount Rushmore. Alright it may not be that intense, but you would be surprised at how much is hidden inside libraries right under our noses. Just because someone has looked at a piece of writing or photo, does not mean they understand the significance; therefore the item is still hidden.

An Out Doors Trip – Road Trip

outdoors
photo by Bitterroot

By the end of spring semester I am sick and tired of being inside. I don’t think there is anything healthier for the soul than staying out side for a week. Plan a camping, hiking, or canoeing trip. Take a few friends with you and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Set a Goal

Give yourself a goal. Read X amount of books, or write X amount of pages. The great thing about summer is that you can have goals that push you to the limit, without all the stress of deadlines and expectations of your professors and parents.

Structure

If you really want to maximize your summer, you need to have a structured schedule. That means you wake up at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time every night. But remember it is summer. If you end up staying out all night a few nights that’s great, but don’t make a habit out of it. Try to get back on schedule. Finding the balance between social fun, and some form of academic fun is the key to having a productive and enjoyable summer.


Metacognitive Letters - Evaluating Yourself

Yesterday I wrote a post about evaluating your professor., but today I would like to focus on how to evaluate yourself. When finals are over you should not run off and begin partying, there are few things that you should sit down and do. Evaluating your performance during the semester is one thing you need to do.

Metacognitive Letters

What does metacognitive mean? Here is a section taken from the wikipedia page.

Metacognition is classified into three components:

  • Metacognitive Knowledge (also called metacognitive awareness) refers to what individuals know about themselves and others as cognitive processors.
  • Metacognitive regulation is the regulation of cognition and learning experiences through a set of activities that help people control their learning.
  • Metacognitive experiences are those experiences that have something to do with the current, on-going cognitive endeavor.

What do you do with this metacognitive stuff? You write a letter or a journal entry evaluating your performance. In one of my classes I had to write a metacognitive letter for every final paper, research, and presentation. At first I felt as if the task was just another time waster, but after writing a few metacognitive letters I discovered they are valuable.

Thinking About Your Progress

By sitting down and writing an evaluation of yourself you really get a good picture of your progress. You are able to ask yourself questions such as:

  • Did I put my full effort into the assignment?
  • What did I learn from the project?
  • How could I have improved my final project
  • Did I properly manage my time?
  • Did I enjoy the assignment?

When you ask and answer these questions you get a chance to learn about yourself, and how you can improve the following semester. I suggest you write a metacognitive letter for every large project or paper. I also suggest writing one for each class.

Ask Your Professor

Through out the semester you should have attempt to communicate with your professors, and you should feel comfortable asking the professor about your progress in the class. Visit your professor. Ask him how he thought you did in the class. Ask how he believes you could improve. Even if you believe you are the top student in the class you should still ask the professor where you could improve. Doing so will allow you to go beyond the normal student and really fine tune your skills.

Before you go out and party try to sit down and write a few metacognitive letters. Writing one does not take much time. I also suggest that you reread the letters before you begin the next semester, that way your strengths and flaws are fresh in your mind and you can use them to excel.


The Power of a Walk

How often do you go for a walk? Has it been a while? For the past several months I have discovered that going for a walk is very powerful.

Once Every Day

I go for a walk at least once a day, but my walk is not something I plan in my schedule. I go for a walk when I need it.

When Do I need a Walk

I have found that a walk is beneficial to me when I am lacking concentration. When I have been working on my studies for a few hours I will begin to lose concentration. Instead of turning on the TV, checking my Facebook, or finding a group of friends, I go for a walk. When I go back to my desk after my walk, I have regained all of my focus.

Why is there power in a walk?

There are a few reasons why a walk has great power. The most noticable is that walking is an exercise. Walking allows you to get your blood pumping without exhausting you. The sun, breeze, and fresh air will also give you energy. I have also found that even if it is almost freezing outside a short 10 minute walk is still enjoyable.

The second reason walking can regain your concentration is because it opens your mind to the things that you have been subconsciously thinking while you were studying. The reason you probably lose concentration is because you are thinking about something other than your current task. Going for a walk will allow you discover what you are thinking about, allow you enough time to think about it, and then you can set it aside and continue your studies.

Walk not Exercise

Your walk should not be considered as your exercise for the day. Your walk should be set aside for one time in the day when you have the least amount of concentration.

Most college campuses are beautiful, especially now in the spring season. Enjoy your time when you walk. Try to keep your thoughts positive.


The Invisible Benefits of Your Major

Why did you choose your major? If you are like me, you chose your major(s) because you enjoy the topic. But there may be better reasons to study a specific major than just the fact that it is your chosen career field.

Choose a Major You Don’t Know

Perhaps math is your forte, and therefore you are majoring in mathematics. Great! But have you ever considered majoring in something you weren’t good at, perhaps English or music. It may sound like a strange thing to do, but if you are capable of teaching yourself mathematics why spend thousands of dollars to have someone teach you. I know a guy majoring in music composition just because he feels that his musical skills are not as good as his other skills. As of right now he has no intention of having a career in music. He is actually thinking of Law School.

The Conceptual Benefits of a Major

Many majors work the mind in many different ways. For example, I am history and economics major. Both majors require perspective that takes into account the whole picture. A history and economics major may be able to predict cause and effect better than an arts major. But an arts major may build an imagination that a economics major could never have.

Each major works the brain in a different way. I briefly mentioned a few majors and their possible hidden benefits. What is your major? How has it changed the way you think? How have you grown from your major? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.


Live on 2 Hours of Sleep a Night: Sleep Method

Could you imagine only getting 2 hours of sleep every night? It is impossible right? We have always been told that we need 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Many times we do not get that much, and we feel exhausted the next day. However, there are some people that can sleep only 2-4 hours a night a function the next day.

Do you know someone that only gets 2 hours a sleep a night? I do. I was sitting in a meeting the other day. As usual we were off topic discussing sleep. A colleague of mine said she only gets 2 hours of sleep a night! I was shocked when I heard her say that. I responded, “There is money there!” Think of the possibilities! You could get a lot accomplished.

After the meeting all I could think about was how can I get away with only 2 hours of sleep.

For the past month I have been attempting to discover my optimal sleep method. Not everyone will require the same amount of sleep, but everyone can use the same method to determine their required amount of sleep.

Note: To determine your necessary amount of sleep you will have to be dedicated. I have been working on my sleep method for a month now, and I still do not know my optimal sleep duration. You will need to be dedicated. The method consists of trail and error, and one trail may need to take one to two weeks to see if it works.

Step 1: Write it down.

You should grab a new notebook or start a new word document and write down every way you attempt to sleep. Not only will you need to record how much you sleep, but how you sleep, when you begin to feel tired, your eating habits and fitness level. If you feel tired one day, write it down. But do not assume that you are tired because you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Eating less, doing more, and stress can change your fatigue level.

Step 2: Ask yourself some preliminary questions

  • Are you a morning person? or a night owl?
  • Do you exercise? (moderate exercising can reduce the amount of sleep you need. Although if you just started exercising, it will take a few weeks for you to see the effects.)
  • Can you make quick and easy adjustments? Get a better pillow? Is it time for a new mattress?
  • How many hours do you usually sleep?
  • Do you feel fatigued during the day?
  • Are you consistent? Do you go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday?

Step 3: When do you need to wake up?

10 minutes before class! Right? No! My first class starts at 9:30 am. Waking up at 7:30 gives me plenty of time to take a shower, eat breakfast, make my bed, and confirm my days schedule. You should give yourself plenty of time to wake up before your first class. Lectures are important. You can learn a lot. Being sluggish during the lecture will only require you to restudy what you could have solidified during the lecture.

When discovering your optimal sleep time, the time you wake up needs to be consistent. If you decide to wake up at 7:30 am, you need to wake up at 7:30 every day. No exceptions! It is important because you will be able to accurately identify what time at night you begin to get tired. Changing your wake up time will only make it difficult.

Step 4: Start with 7-8 hours of Sleep

Most people do not even have a regular sleep schedule. You need one. Like I said consistency is the key. Most will probably discover that 7-8 hours is the best sleep duration, so it is a good place to start. Before you begin adjusting your sleep time I would sleep for eight hours every night for two weeks.

Step 5: Adjusting the time

After you have a consistent sleep schedule you can begin to adjust your sleep duration. I recommend adjusting your sleep schedule 15-30 minutes and you should try the new duration for a full week or more. When you change the duration it is somewhat of a shock to your body. You may feel extra tired the day after adjusting the time.

Step 6: Trail and Error

Start with 8 hours and attempt to sleep less and less. In the end, you may end up needing 8 hours of sleep, or you may actually need more than 8 hours. It is very important that you write down how you feel with the different time intervals. Properly doing this method will require several months, and you probably will not remember how you truly felt the first two weeks.

You Will Fail!

Unfortunately we are human and college students. There will be nights that you do not follow your sleep schedule, but the key to success is to forget about it, and the following night go to bed when you are supposed to.

If you Sleep More are You Missing Out?

I decided to do some quick research on the topic and I found a study(1) comparing elderly long sleepers and short sleepers. They discovered that there did was not a correlation between amount of sleep and success. It is more important to find your optimal sleep time than it is to only sleep two hours a day.

(1) Long Sleepers Sleep More and Short Sleepers Sleep Less: A Comparison of Older Adults Who Sleep Well
Behavioral Sleep Medicine; 2004, Vol. 2 Issue 1, p2-23, 22p, 4 charts
Database Used: Academic Search Premier


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