If You Don’t Do The Homework, You’re Gonna Have A Bad Time
I decided this past year to not let stress consume my soul, even though I have every reason to run through the hills screaming “My life sucks. Stop piling on the assignments and burdens, life!” The hills are alive with the sound of my excruciating pain. I have to grin and bear it because getting worked up over the things you cannot change is a waste of energy.
Every day I think that I’m caught up with assignments, as well as getting ahead on more “long term” final projects so that I can finally eat cookies and slip into my onesie. But HCC has other plans for me. They just don’t appreciate a good elf onesie when they see it, that’s it.
Everytime I log onto my Blackboard, a piece of my heart breaks. There is always something new every day that needs to get done. But again, I cannot let the stress win, because that is just what it wants. I decided to manage my time in a way that would serve me and HCC. And yes, you guessed it, multitasking and rewarding myself for good behavior.
As soon as I have any window of time, I take my laptop with me and try to squeeze a quick assignment in before the homework piles up. You would think that my plan would unfold before my two different colored eyes, but it hasn’t failed me yet. I still make time for my friends because I’ll bring my laptop over their house and go to town whenever there’s a commercial on in whatever show we’re watching. If we have plans to paint the town red at night, I’ll strategize in my head for how I can use the little time allotted before I really have to get my ass moving and leave. “The movie’s at 7:20, right? We don’t have to leave for another hour? All right. Cool.” I proceed to whip open my laptop and complete an assignment before the due time.
This “reward” system seemed corny to me at first, until I fulfilled it with things that I enjoyed. I really love food and movies, so I incorporated my passions into my studies. I will tease myself by watching a few episodes of a really good show on Netflix and forbid myself to watch the next one until I start that paper I’ve been procrastinating on. Of course I get mad at myself and try to prolong it, but this will only hurt me, so I just suck it up. I work 40, sometimes 46 hours a week, spend a good chunk of my “free time”on online and on campus classes, and try to catch some zzz’s in there whenever my schedule permits it.
You could either be burned by the stress, or let it roll of your back. This guy does. Photo courtesy of Christopher Parr.
I would be lying if I said it was easy. But I envision my goals, and know that there is an end date. Mid-December is right around the corner. Stop slacking, you lazy bastards, and get to work! You are only hurting yourself by wasting your day bitching and moaning about how intense your workload is. By managing your time in an effective and fun way, you will be skipping across campus with your earbuds in, singing Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake. Meanwhile, your former procrastinator friends will be sobbing with their face in their books and a ramen noodle cup in hand because they didn’t have time for a proper meal. You could be like them, or you could be happy. The choice is yours. Don’t be late.Chel