How to Do It All: Five Tips to Stay Sane

Hi, my name is Halie. I'm a full time college student in her eighth and final semester, I work four jobs (yes, you heard that right), I'm in an honor society, I participate in my university's theatre program, and I run my own Etsy shop on the side. Now, I often get asked "how do you do everything you do?" The first thing I'm going to tell you is that it is not easy. There are some days where all I want to do is come home and nap instead of working on homework, take home work assignments or Etsy orders. But there is this underlying motivator that always pushes me to do more. And that is knowing that although this may all be extremely exhausting now, I'm going to come out better and stronger than before. In this post, I'm going to let you in on my secrets on how I stay organized, motivated and how I manage to do it all.

Tip #1: Use a calendar.

I know this one will sound cliche, but it is so worth it! Trust me! I personally like to use multiple calendars. I have my planner for in depth weekly calendars, my wall calendar so I can see what my day will hold before walking out the door and then my digital calendar which I can take a glance at any time during the day.

Having some sort of calendar with all your activities and events will help sort things out in your mind on what is to come and what you should be working on next. It also is helpful when you're trying to get ahead of schedule (see tip #2). Below is an example of my digital calendar for October back in 2017. You'll notice how everything is color coordinated, so I know exactly what things are for each activity. I also make sure to write down the time and time span that things are so I know when they are due or how long I should expect the event to last.

Tip #2: Get ahead when at all possible.

When you have a busy schedule, the last thing you want is to be behind and stressed. I found that when I do have a little extra free time that won't interfere with my relaxing time, I'll try to get ahead if at all possible. Even if it is 30 spare minutes that I have on a random Wednesday night, that is 30 minutes of work I did then and don't have to do later in the week.

Most of the time I'll take a look at my calendar and see what I have in the upcoming week and I will make it a small goal of mine to get ahead on 1-2 things in the upcoming week. If you're someone who wants to do it all, these small bits of time where you spend getting ahead on say either your homework assignments or house chores will allow you to have time down the line for things you want to do.

Tip #3: Remember to have you time.

You've probably heard of this one a million times, but it is beyond true. I mentioned it in the previous tip, but make sure you set aside time during the week specifically for yourself. Life can be stressful at times. Especially when you have multiple roles to perform like student, mother, manger, wife, worker, etc. But you still always have the role of being yourself.

I found myself very stressed at the beginning of my college years as I began to slowly start adding everything I could to my schedule to build my resume. I became so stressed that I was mentally exhausted and my anxiety was at an all time high. That is when I realized I needed to make time for me. I normally set aside time later in the evening to make sure I could Skype my friends, play video games, write, and all the other activities I enjoyed doing on a regular basis. That way I could relieve myself from the ever day stresses and prepare myself for the following tasks to come.

Tip #4: Realize that perfection is not going to be possible 24/7

This was a hard thing for me to realize. I always wanted to make sure that every event I planned, paper I wrote and project I completed was perfect. However, in the long run, it sometimes took me extra hours to actually complete something that I still was not exactly happy with. I had to learn to settle with the results I had in the end. Once I did, I realized how much more time I had to work on things as well as more time to work ahead. I wasn't pushing things to the deadline all the time. I started getting things done on time and ahead of time. Remember, there is nothing wrong with finishing something and then going back to it and revising it to make it better. But just remember, it is hard to make everything perfect all the time.

Tip #5: Lastly, remember to say no.

I know, I know. You want to do absolutely everything you can to better yourself and the community around you. But like I said in the previous tips, you have to look out for yourself too. Your mental, emotional and physical health should always come first as there is only one you and you need to make sure that you are okay. I know there have been plenty of times in my college career where I wished I had just said no, it would have bettered me instead of wearing myself out to the bones. I had a hard time saying no for most of my life. I was a "yes!" woman. But all those yeses and commitments really took a toll after awhile. So remember, it doesn't hurt to say no and look out for yourself.

Life is a crazy rollercoaster and sometimes you just have to hold on and hope for the best. But remember, when the rollercoaster slows down and comes to a stop, take a moment to grasp your surroundings, get prepared for the next ride, focus on you and know it's okay to say no and step away for a while.

Do you have any tips that I didn't list above that you swear by and that helps you to do it all? Let me know in the comments below.

#Organization #Advice #Millenial #Motivation #Achievement