My largest time management challenge is that I sleep too much. My dorm room is normally quiet, so I enjoy studying here. I am forced to sit on my hard wooden chair at my desk because if I sit in my comfortable chair or on my bed I am guaranteed to fall asleep. This problem is extremely frustrating. Also, whenever I attempt to do homework or study I feel like I am in the poppy field in the Wizard of Oz, and I have to take at least a thirty minute nap.
I believe part of my problem is that I am going to sleep a later than I normally do. At home I went to bed around 10:30 on weeks nights. I go to bed between 11:00 and 12:00 at college. I wake up around 7:20 and have about four classes every day. I am also required to practice my clarinet for two hours a day and piano and guitar for thirty minutes each per day. I have orchestra or wind ensemble rehearsal on Mondays through Thursdays. These rehearsals vary from fifty minutes to two and a half hours. I am also required to attend convocations, recitals, and co-curricular activities. I am not complaining by any means because I enjoy attending all of these events, and it has allowed me to experience things that I normally would not have attended. There are simply not enough hours in the day.
I think I may have found a solution to help me stay awake. Last night I went to Walmart and bought two packs of gum and diet green tea. I'm going to carry gum and tea to all of my classes so that in case I feel sleepy I can get some caffeine in my body. I'm going to definitely do this in my dorm room too. I am also going to experiment with doing homework on different parts of campus. If I sit outside, I will be in the fresh air so I can have a lot of oxygen going to my brain. Also, people would stare at me and possibly try to do things to me if they caught me sleeping.
I am going to try these new ideas, and hopefully I will be able to stay awake! If not, then I will just have to substitute taking time to go to Gee and do homework during my meal times.
Yea Emma--you seem to not only be focusing in on your time management issues but seeking ways to solve them. If you manage to stay awake for a whole day, you might discover that you've gotten enough work completed that you can get to bed earlier. And I like the studying-different-places sort of thing. Would you believe that I get a good bit of music memorizing done on the treadmill at the gym? Can't really fall asleep there!
ReplyDeleteOne word of caution--do be careful with the caffeine. (Yes, I know I'm always carrying a coffee mug around, but it's the same mug of coffee all day long). The more caffeine your give your body, the more it wants. It's also hard to fall asleep while you're eating carrots...
You could try doing work in the library or in Blackman if you really need a change of scenery. Or you could even do it outside on a really nice day. If you sit in your comfy chair that always makes you fall asleep when you study, try getting up to stretch every 10-20 minutes.
ReplyDeleteEmma, I have the same problem! I'm not really sure what the best solution to this is, but I believe in power naps. If you take a short nap, no longer than fifteen minutes, you will feel rejuvenated and ready for what comes next in your day. Since these naps will be shorter than the ones you've been taking, maybe you can get some more work done. I hope this suggestion is helpful to you. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem of going to sleep later than I normally do, but I can't simply sleep anywhere except my bedroom. ALthough that may seem like a good thing, I can't take naps in the library or anywhere on campus, so I usually walk around with heavy eyelids. Studying outside while feeling the fresh air surely helps me forget how sleepy I am though! I tend to bring my homework out to the porch, because it helps me boost up my concentration level.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever catch you sleeping, I will make sure to wake you up!