Alison gave you some really good suggestions. I've got one more for you: Just put one foot in front of the other.
That seems simple, I know. But you have to rally during the end of this semester even though you don't like your classes and even though you've had this bad news about your boyfriend. (I'm really sorry about that, too. It's awful.)
Some practical suggestions for getting the work done:
1. Decide your goal. Is it to pass? Is it to do better than that?
2. How far are you away from that goal?
3. Divide that answer into increments. If you need to get your grade up a level in two months, that means you need to get it up half a level each month. That's not hard to do.
4. Each week, make a list of what you must do, with deadlines. Make priorities for each day. You may have to let some personal things go in order to make your larger goal of getting through the semester. That's ok. This is temporary.
5. Work on one thing at a time. And when you're working on it, be a champion horse wearing blinders on the track: Don't focus on anything but that one paper, or studying for that one test. All you can do is one thing at a time. But you must do it.
6. Never work on anything that's not in the Top 5 of your priority list. (Some people say Top 3, but I can never keep myself just to the Top 3).
7. Count it down. It's easier to manage if you have a constantly decreasing number. How many class days until you get to the end of the semester? At the end of each day you can cross another one off.
8. Think of a reward that you will give yourself at the end of the semester JUST FOR SURVIVING. Something you really want to do, see or buy for yourself. You will have earned it.
9. Think about speaking to any teacher in whose class you're really struggling. Don't give them details of what's going on, but just say "I've had some personal issues this semester and I'm not doing anywhere near my best work. But I wanted you to know that I'm trying." (Note: I teach a college course myself. If any of my students came to me and said this, I would immediately ask if there's anything I can do (you would say "No, but thank you for offering") and then I would thank them for letting me know. Would it make me more lenient in their grades? Probably, if I saw that indeed they did seem to be working harder.
10. And remember that you aren't crazy. You're overwhelmed, and that can make us feel crazy. But you aren't. You just have to manage the overwhelm. And we do that one day at a time, one step at a time, one page at a time. You can do it, Anon. You can.
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Fish,
Alison gave you some really good suggestions. I've got one more for you: Just put one foot in front of the other.
That seems simple, I know. But you have to rally during the end of this semester even though you don't like your classes and even though you've had this bad news about your boyfriend. (I'm really sorry about that, too. It's awful.)
Some practical suggestions for getting the work done:
1. Decide your goal. Is it to pass? Is it to do better than that?
2. How far are you away from that goal?
3. Divide that answer into increments. If you need to get your grade up a level in two months, that means you need to get it up half a level each month. That's not hard to do.
4. Each week, make a list of what you must do, with deadlines. Make priorities for each day. You may have to let some personal things go in order to make your larger goal of getting through the semester. That's ok. This is temporary.
5. Work on one thing at a time. And when you're working on it, be a champion horse wearing blinders on the track: Don't focus on anything but that one paper, or studying for that one test. All you can do is one thing at a time. But you must do it.
6. Never work on anything that's not in the Top 5 of your priority list. (Some people say Top 3, but I can never keep myself just to the Top 3).
7. Count it down. It's easier to manage if you have a constantly decreasing number. How many class days until you get to the end of the semester? At the end of each day you can cross another one off.
8. Think of a reward that you will give yourself at the end of the semester JUST FOR SURVIVING. Something you really want to do, see or buy for yourself. You will have earned it.
9. Think about speaking to any teacher in whose class you're really struggling. Don't give them details of what's going on, but just say "I've had some personal issues this semester and I'm not doing anywhere near my best work. But I wanted you to know that I'm trying." (Note: I teach a college course myself. If any of my students came to me and said this, I would immediately ask if there's anything I can do (you would say "No, but thank you for offering") and then I would thank them for letting me know. Would it make me more lenient in their grades? Probably, if I saw that indeed they did seem to be working harder.
10. And remember that you aren't crazy. You're overwhelmed, and that can make us feel crazy. But you aren't. You just have to manage the overwhelm. And we do that one day at a time, one step at a time, one page at a time. You can do it, Anon. You can.
March 10, 2010 - 9:31amThis Comment
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