Although you and I have never really been close up until
now, I want to thank you for keeping me in check on my activities throughout
the day. I actually would like to also thank myself for being more proactive
about it as well. I used to be more of a “got it in my head” type of guy, but
grad-school (as we all know) is a completely different ball game.
Throughout the year I have taken steps to better myself as a
whole, and take on new challenges. Grad-school was a new leaf for me, and I
really learned what it meant to prioritize and make the most of whatever was
going on around us. In the EDUC 401 course, we started off with an article
about reading in grad-school. You are given a wild list of readings in each
class, some required- most recommended. After reading through the syllabus and
the reading list, you are able to take a look and see what exactly you need to
walk away with, and prioritize in a way that gives you the maximum amount of
value in the little time you do have. You don’t have to read every word of
every article given, and that is a learning lesson I actually enacted this
year. When I was in business school, I freaked out in my accounting program if
I even missed a chapter of any assigned readings. This year I was able to take
a step back and re-evaluate the way I handle the infinitely long reading list.
This thinking can be applied to everyday life as well. There
are only 24 hours in a day. For me, it is scary to think about the thought. I
work as professional staff at UW, am a full-time grad, volunteer weekly with
Gay City, and still desire to go to the gym 4 times a week minimally. All while
ensuring I get my homework done, and cook all my meals (trying to eat more healthyJ), and trying to
maintain a decent social life of course, and attend community/networking/campus
events. It’s another thing that I am a neat freak and have to have my apartment
spotless. Sometimes I have to let that slide though because I am too busy
running around. This is why I have managed to keep a good schedule for myself
and write in times not just for class or homework, but also times that I
dedicate to working out, and even having the needed downtime “me time.” Prioritizing
sleep is another thing I feel I have successfully done. I block out my
weeknights after 10:30 (with very few exceptions) so I can make sure I have
time to get ready for the next morning, and get ready to go to bed. This new
time tracking and allocation system has managed to keep me constantly going,
and seems to be working well for me. It’s funny to think that there’s reminders
such as “you need to do this at this time.” This at least has allowed me to
stay on things. If there is an assignment coming up that is of very high
stakes, I send myself a couple reminders to keep track of the deadline. I try
not to procrastinate, but it’s something us students are best at :P
Moving forward, I will continue to appreciate you. You have
never failed me, or intentionally threw me off schedule. If it seems like I can’t
make up my mind and change appointments around 50 million times a day, I am
sorry! Also, sorry for silencing you so much. You tend to go off at the worst
times, like that one time I was in a meeting with the Associate Vice-Provost of
Academic Services (my boss’s boss), and Vice President and CIO of UW-IT (his
boss). Did make a good laugh though! :D
Let’s keep on being awesome,
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