Stop. Hammer Time... Management

    It is easy to get behind on your schoolwork. Especially when you have a job as well. In my case I began to slack on my school work but was in a comfortable position to catch up. I had a job with regular predictable hours. When my kitchen manager began to slip up I began to look for another job. The kitchen was never fully staffed and people were receiving cold or sloppy looking food. I thought this was going to be a long and grueling process. To my surprise I was hired at another restaurant within a few months of looking. Now on top of being behind on my schoolwork I have to learn an entirely new menu. Factor in the stress of adjusting to a new environment, new people, and new etiquette. I have a lot on my plate (no pun intended). It goes to show that you never know what will happen in the near future. It is best to stay current with your work incase you have an opportunity presented to you that requires a good deal of your time. You do not want to be in the position of having to choose between grades and something else.

    In order to stay current and avoid falling behind, you can use a number of techniques. Having a calendar or planner to keep track of due dates is a must. The due dates don’t always have to be set by the professor either. Sometimes a professor will give you many assignments at once and tell you they all need to be done by the end of the semester. In this case you need to set due dates for yourself to avoid trying to finish them all at once in a hurry. Leaving a group of assignments to the last minute is a surefire way to receive low grades. Rewarding yourself for completing assignments is also a must. I will plan some relaxation time after completing a large assignment. If I don’t complete the assignment then I cannot watch my favorite television show, play video games, or go out with my friends. Assignments must always come before fun or you will be less inclined to start them.

    There is no better feeling than going out with friends knowing that you are current with all your work. OK maybe that is going a bit far but, it is much more enjoyable. If you want to feel even more relaxed and at ease you can even finish papers early. Just assign yourself a new earlier due date and treat it as a real deadline. Many classes won’t even have a final exam so if you finish all your papers early then you have more winter break or summer to enjoy. It is easier said than done but like exercising it may hurt to begin with but you feel so much better later on. In conclusion there is no reason to procrastinate ever. You won’t enjoy what you are doing as much knowing you should be doing your work. The more you procrastinate the easier it gets to do until you have a real problem on your hands. Take the easy road and do everything on time!