As winter approaches, the days get shorter and it becomes easier to feel discombobulated and overwhelmed. It is during these months that students may find themselves struggling to find routine in the chaos of schoolwork, sports, and extracurriculars. Luckily, seasonal depression can be avoided, and even transformed into a window of opportunity for students to foster healthy habits and explore new interests.
Former Habits of Mind teacher, Mr.Sullivan says staying healthy this season starts with the basics: “I think my 2 big [recommendations] are to try to establish and keep a consistent sleep schedule and to drink plenty of water. Your body needs sleep to thrive and staying up till 2 or 3 in the morning on a school night is not going to keep you mentally prepared for school.”
Junior, Matthew Tsai who plans to spend the season focusing on competitive swimming, music, and schoolwork affirms the importance of sleep, expanding on the significance of time management. “From personal experience, doing everything without time to relax is a recipe for burnout. But also relaxing too much could lead to procrastination. So, good time management should balance this.”
So, what are some ways to get motivated and master the skill of time management?
Practicing Forward Thinking
No matter how busy you are, the unpredictability of life can make it easy to get thrown off track. Whether it’s forgetting an assignment, or dozing off in class-mistakes are bound to happen. One way to stay prepared throughout the week is knowing what to expect and planning ahead. Mr. Sullivan suggests students keep a daily calendar-digital or physical. “Anything that has a due date can be put in there from homework assignments to projects [non-school events], anything can be organized so you know what your week or month looks like. Then I would suggest taking a look at your calendar on Sunday to have an idea of what is going on that week so you are mentally prepared for what’s to come.”
Staying Active
For those committed to academics, clubs, and team-based sports, it may be to find yourself absorbed in a constant ‘work mindset.’ It is important to make time to decompress and dedicate time to personal interests. Mr. Sullivan explains that as the days get shorter, “we often feel like the day is already over around 5:00, but [assures students] that isn’t true.” He encourages students to prioritize themselves and “do at least one thing that is unrelated to school each day to detox [their] brain and relax or have fun.
Practicing Optimism
Understanding the tactics to achieving a productive schedule are important but, whether or not you make the effort is a defining factor in your success. It’s important to practice habits consistently and even more so, to trust in the process and believe in the fact that hard work pays off.
