Stress Be Gone!

Once again, another stressful week is ending, and another is coming to a start. Lucky me! My parents came up this weekend for my sororities Parent's Weekend. Of course it was so nice to see them, but also it made me more stressed, not only because my mom was here to nag me about my dirty room. But also because the work I was supposed to do on Saturday day, but didn't because I was with my parents! Luckily, this week in CLS we had new strategies to try out, and one that I wound up trying out, and loving, was "Ranking Problems." This particular strategy was most useful to me.

"Ranking Problems" is almost like taking a planner to another level. It has me first look at what I have to do. Next rank them based on their importance. For me, the due date of a project is what determines what homework I tackle first. So, for the "Ranking Problems" strategy I wrote down the assignment which was due the soonest. Then, next to it, I put down

either an A1,A2,B1,B2,C1, and so on. My CLS project of course has an A1 next to it because it is due Monday. After that I put down my COM 107 essay. That is also extremely important to me because although it isn't due for another week or two, it happens to be 40% of my grade. So, that gets next for top priority. And my list continues on ranking my work to be done based on due date which is what matters to me.

This particular strategy really worked well for me. Of course this week I still did the Fritter Finder and a Target Planner because that is what works well for me. Doing those two strategies makes me able to visualize what work I have to do and when I will be able to do it. However, those two strategies are not in this weeks topics. So sadly, I can't focus on them in the blog again. Instead I tried out the "Ranking Priorites" which has the same approach as the Fritter Finder and Target Planner!

Another strategy which Dr. Blumin had us try out was in the book. However this one didn't really work too well for me. It was almost too specific for me I guess? I didn't want to have to think about what would happen if I didn't get it done. I just wanted to get it done and not have the option of even thinking for a second that may not do it! For me that isn't the right kind of mindset!

So to basically summarize, I like the more visual strategies because I am a visual learner so those are what work for me!

No Mess No Stress

I like to think of myself as being very organized. My t-shirts are folded by style and color, and my jeans are stacked from dark wash to light wash, making my wardrobe pleasing to the eye and easily accessible. That's just one part of my life that I like to keep in order. However, when it comes to my school work, not everything is so spick n' span.

Each day when it comes time to start my homework I look at my monthly calendar that I have already written down all my assignments on, and make a list of everything I need or want to accomplish that day. By this time the list is just a compilation of tasks and assignments with no order or structure, so I end up just starting at the top and making my way down. While I may be getting my work done, I am not doing it in the most productive manner. This is why when I heard about the "Ranking Priorities" strategy I knew it was the perfect opportunity to try it.

So, to begin I rewrote all of my assignments for that day on a new sheet of lined paper, and then ranked each of the items on the list based on whether they were A- absolutely essential, B- important, or C- optional, and then put a number next to each letter based on which one I wanted to accomplish first . For example, I wrote A-1 next to my REL191 paper because it was due the next day, therefore it was critical I finished that first. I used due dates as a factor for determining my priorities so I would complete the most important tasks first. Now, instead of having a jumbled list of assignments without any specific order, "Ranking Priorities" was able to solve my problem and I have a list that enables me to identify the tasks that need the most immediate attention and are "absolutely essential".

While I figured out a way to better organize my daily tasks, I realized that I needed help solving an even bigger problem : tackling my WGS101 Take-Home Midterm. On Thursday our Take-Home Midterm was passed out in lecture and I began to have a mild panic attack as I read the assignment. My mind began to race and my heart began to pound, and before I knew it little beads of sweat were forming at the top of my hairline. Some people might find this strange, but for me it's pretty normal. When I see a big assignment I get intimidated and overwhelmed, not knowing how to start or where to begin. Once I realized the stress I was putting myself under, I decided to try out the "Is Versus Wants" strategy to help me reevaluate my current situation and figure out what I need to change to be more successful.

As I filled out the chart I was able to actually ask myself questions that I normally wouldn't, such as "What is the problem I am having now?" "What would I like my situation to be instead?" "What do I need to do in order to accomplish this?" "What exactly am I going to do to accomplish this?" and "How will I know I achieved my desired outcome?". Once I got to the "Action" column, where I had to think about the necessary steps needed to fix my problem, I realized that the "Target Planner" - a task management strategy that my friends had used last week- would be the perfect strategy for me to use. It would let me break up the Midterm into small, manageable sections

with due dates so I could do a little work each night. This way, I am accomplishing my Midterm without feeling the stress of having to finish all of

it at once.

With "Is Versus Wants" I was able to become my own therapist. I had to look at my own situation, acknowledge what was wrong with it, and then figure out on my own how I was going to solve the problem. By working something out on my own, I gained a greater sense of accomplishment at the end once I

had fixed what wasn't working.

Enjoy the Weekend and do your work wisely!!