How to juggle different activities efficiently in order to avoid stress
Spring, probably my most favourite season of the year! Everything feels so fresh and colourful and it gives me that ‘new beginnings’ feeling – a feeling that doesn’t seem to fit, nine months into the year.
In my opinion, it’s so important to slow down and take a second to breathe and reflect on the months that have just passed. I have experienced the hustle and bustle that June and July has brought, as it feels like it’s the busiest times of the year and everything is happening all at once. Because of this, I found that I stopped myself quite a few times, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I did this to avoid the overwhelming feeling of stress.
As I am not familiar with being in a working environment every single day, the adjustment has been somewhat different and a little bit difficult in some aspects. Working, university and extra mural activities all bring about their own stressors and managing them altogether has been tricky, but I feel that I have learned to manage and conquer the responsibilities that they all bring about.
Ensuring that you manage your tasks efficiently is extremely important because if you don’t, you can find yourself in a space that feels like utter turmoil. Once you’re in this state, you actually don’t end up completing anything at all. Along with taking a chance to breathe and reflect every now and again, I always ensure that I have planned my workload properly, and in advance, as this allows me to somewhat avoid the feeling of being overworked.
Don’t get me wrong, planning ahead and taking deep breaths definitely doesn’t mean that you will never feel stressed or overwhelmed at times, it just simply helps you to make sure that you are as prepared as you possibly can be.
The past few months have felt like a rollercoaster for me – some have been extremely busy and others have been relatively quiet, and it always seems as though work; extra mural and university tasks take place at the same time and are never evenly spread out. I feel that I have struggled with that the most, and there were times where I felt that I couldn’t complete everything properly in the required time frame even though I had planned in advance.
My advice to you is, whenever you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed with work – remember these three things:
- Always plan ahead and spread your tasks and time out as evenly as possible.
- Take a moment to reflect and take a deep breath.
- If you have something planned in your schedule, STICK TO IT! Even if you’re tired – it will only benefit you in the end.
