Its crunch time! No I
don’t mean Cap’n Crunch time, I mean the semester is almost over and I have to
crunch months of grad school work into the next five weeks! I am sure that
there are many other grad students out there who are in the same boat as I am
and instead of writing/reading, you are on the internet! Don’t worry, I won’t
waste your time here at The Daily Conquer! Today’s post is about 6 tips I use
to survive the end of the semester which may also help you finish the semester strong!
- Coffee – Enough said. I know that I can’t start the day without my
morning cup. Sipping on some coffee in the morning gives me a couple of
moments to allow the cobwebs to clear from my head and help me think clearly. If you don't like coffee have a cup of tea or juice. Something to
help your body rejuvenate from the 7 hours of sleep (I hope) you just woke
up from.
With that being said
you should always…
- Play to your strengths – We are not all the same nor do we all function the same so be sure the play to your own strengths. Personally, I cannot work past 11 p.m. If I do the quality of my writing and reading comprehension severely declines. I tend to wake up around 6 a.m. during the week and around 7 a.m. during the weekend. But this may not be the best time for you to work so ask yourself what are my strengths.Whatever your strengths are find them and use them to your advantage.
- Realize there are no such things as weekends – I currently work two jobs and I am taking 9 hours of classes. Many of my fellow graduates often ask me how I manage. It’s simple, I don’t get weekends. Because it is so hard for me to work late at night I rarely accomplish anything during the week. Most days I come home around 6 or 7 p.m. and by then my brain is mush. So I have to make up by putting in ten hour days during the weekend (sometimes longer). Seriously, I only come out of my office for lunch and dinner.
But please remember…
- Do take breaks or you will break – This is probably one of the more important tips.
Graduate school is hard and you don’t want to make it harder by hurting
yourself. The stress can really work a number on you. Not to mention, sitting
for 10 hours straight at a computer can wreak havoc on your wrists, back,
and eyes! Because
of the long hours at the computer I am starting to get ulnar neuropathy
and carpal tunnel.So I ended up having to take three weeks off from any sort
of typing and spending $50 on arm braces! So
remember to take breaks or you will break!
- Do whatever it takes – I do whatever it takes to conquer my goals.
To help with my back and wrist pain I went through two different desk
arrangements! As a poor college student I can’t afford a $300 executive chair or a new desk so at first I would sit on top of pillows hoping this would help with my back pain – it didn’t! Then I tried putting my keyboard lower to help with the wrist issues but my back would still hurt. Finally, I grabbed several boxes that we hadn’t unpacked and created a standing desk! I also purchased Dragon Dictation Software when it was on sale to help with the typing. Let me know in the comments if you are interested in seeing a review and I would be more than happy to post one!
- Get a good team of support – Finally, the most important thing is to
have a good team of support. I know I could not spend as much time on my
homework or my thesis if it wasn’t for my husband. He cooks all the meals,
does all the chores, and takes care of our pets. He never once tries to
make me feel bad about it. I even get back and arm massages when I am in
pain! I also have to mention that family support is crucial. If you are as
busy as I am, you do not even have time to eat three times a day let alone
chat for hours on the phone with your family. This is why it is imperative
to have support from your family during grad school. I let all my family
members know that during the semester I will be unavailable and they
respect that. There is no way I could put everything aside without their
support!
Oh and don’t forget the furry support team! They always make sure I have
enough kisses to make it through the day!
I know we are all
feeling the pressure as the semester is coming to a close and everything is
due! These 6 tips could really help you make it through the end of the semester and
conquer your goals! Current grad students do you find that you already use some of these tips? Do you have some different strategies? Share them in the comments below!
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