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Monday, July 14, 2025

Live, Love, Longwood: Advice for an over-involved student

Beat the stress and manage your time wisely

Dear Karyn,

College, huh?  We’re four weeks into the semester and the workload is starting to get to me. Not only do I have to worry about school and grades, but also, making time for clubs and volunteering (as well as time to chill in bed eating brownie mix).  

I love each of my involvements and could readily spend all of my time devoted to these activities; however, school is the priority and I need to make sure I don’t exhaust myself on these things that don’t affect my GPA.  At the same time, I would be miserable without my extracurriculars to distract me. How can I balance my time without my performance suffering?

Help,

Concerned Student


Dear Concerned Student,

In my experience, a busy life is the best kind of life; however, it doesn’t always seem that way when you’re trying to write three papers, attend six club meetings that are all held on the same day, make time for regular bubble baths and read one book per month.  It’s enough to make anyone totally lose their mind.   

My first piece of advice is to get organized.  Though different methods work for different people, your method needs to involve writing things down in some orderly capacity. 

In my case, I like to jot my homework, work/class schedules and other commitments down inside an aesthetically pleasing planner with six different colors of highlighter (varying based on the category at hand). 

Some people prefer to keep a master calendar (whether online or a hard copy) or write on a whiteboard with colorful markers. 

My LSEM instructor recently showed our students his own method, which involves a spreadsheet that allows for scheduling in 30-minute increments entitled “My ‘Get Serious About Shit’ Study Schedule.”  If you’re not sure what works for you, you can try a few different things until you find the one that makes you feel the most badass, highly competent adult. 

Secondly, consider your own preferences and capabilities.  During what part of the day can you be most productive? 

If you become too exhausted to study or meaningfully participate in clubs after 7 p.m., consider waking up earlier to get in an extra hour or two of work.  Conversely, if you know you need the extra rest and won’t be productive before 10 a.m., then get some sleep so that you can actually accomplish things during the day.  If you’re like me and you hate both early mornings and late nights, you’re not totally screwed. 

You just have to be very careful about where your minutes go during the day.  For example, if you have 45 minutes between classes, sit in a quiet area and get ahead on your reading.  If you’ve blocked out an hour for the new episode of American Horror Story, consider doing one of your less mentally taxing assignments during the commercial break.   

Additionally, learning to say “no” to some things is crucial to time management and a holistically balanced life.  You may consider some extracurricular activities essential and that’s fine; however, recognize that in turn, you might not have any extra time to add on more.  It’s okay and, actually, better being an active member who makes meaningful contributions in two or three organizations rather than a largely absent member in 10 organizations. 

Lastly, I urge you to make time for self-care.  Although receiving an education and participating in organizations that interest you are indefinably rewarding, you can’t ignore your own basic needs.  Take an hour for yourself a few times a week and spend it on whatever you want, whether it’s messing around with your friends, watching Mean Girls for the umpteenth time or just taking a nap.  Devoting time to relaxing and recharging is key. 

Love,

Karyn

Don’t forget: send me your issues about life, love and school at karyn.keane@live.longwood.edu!

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