Just relax
Those who know me well often ask me “Ethan how do you stay so calm? I literally never see you get stressed.” For those of you who don’t know me as well, you have probably heard me yell something along the lines of “Don’t worry! It's going to be easy” or “Just relax!” In this blog post, I will highlight some of the tips and tricks I use to survive Uni.
One of the most important things I have learned is to work efficiently. Not everyone learns the same way. I personally like learning just by listening to someone lecture or watching a video. Other learn well by rewriting their notes or doing lots of example problems. No matter what your learning method is you should find it and use it effectively. Once you find a method of learning that works for you, you will find yourself spending less and less time studying tests and doing homework and your grades will shoot up!
Once you have figured out how to work efficiently you should learn how to prioritize your responsibilities. Every single assignment has a different weight and impact and learning how to spend time accordingly is very important. For example, if you have a WebAssign or lon capa due on the same day of a giant history test DO NOT spend all your time trying to figure out a math problem that is barely going to impact your grade! I know that it is super hard to let go of your ego and get a 96% on your math homework instead of a 100% but you could be spending all that extra time studying for your history test which has a much larger impact on your grade.
Sometimes it is not good to be a perfectionist. I know this is a hard one for many people because for some reason it feels like everyone at Uni wants all their work to be perfect all the time. Look sometimes there are benefits to making beautifully color-coded notes with perfect handwriting but most times there aren't. In the end, an A is an A. There is no need to spend 3 hours on an assignment that you can spend 30 minutes on and get the same grade. This is oftentimes the case with English papers. Hopefully Ms. Majerus will back me up on this but I think there is no such thing as a perfect essay. There will always be things to change so at some point you have to accept it as it is and turn it in. Learning to not be a perfectionist will free up more time than you think.
Lastly, make sure you’re keeping everything in perspective. Ten years from now you’re not going to remember what grade you got on your math test or how you did on your English essay because at the end of the day it's just a school assignment. Yes, they are important, but they are not life or death. There is more to life than just school or college apps even though it might not feel that way. There are much more important problems in this world than whether or not you passed or failed your reassessment.
So if you’re reading this, just take a deep breath and calm down. Everything will be fine. Everything is ease.
You are my role model. As soon as I saw the picture on this post, I knew I was going to get some quality advice. I mostly agree with everything you said. Prioritizing responsibilities is crucial not just in high school but anywhere you go in the future! Why are you working on Lon Capa when you have an English essay due tomorrow? I don't agree with the last sentence though. I can believe everything is ease, but it actually might not be ease. Also, I disagree with your claim that there is no perfect essay because I just read one :).
ReplyDeleteIs it bad that as soon as I read the line "if you're reading this take a deep breath and calm down," my obstinate instincts kicked in and I absolutely refused to calm down at all?
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this post, I was waiting to see the words "It's ease, it's ease." come up, because that's literally always what you say when someone complains about the work they have to do! I honestly admire you for having such a optimistic attitude towards the work that you have to get done, and I wish I could be like that because I'm so exhausted from constantly stressing over everything. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI used to be calm like you and I was even calm last year. This year, I just probably put too much on my load. I'm taking a U of I class, I am doing 3 sports, I'm in all of these clubs, and obviously all the other classes at Uni. I am really hard on myself and am a perfectionist so I find it hard not too spend 3 hours on something that can be done in 30 minutes, but then it depends one what it is. Great post and good advice, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI liked that you made a point about prioritization, as I think it's a very underrated skill. Sometimes I'll feel like I've studied well because I studied for a certain amount of time, and it's really not a good way of thinking. For example, I spent most of my time studying for my calculus test Monday re-writing notes or copying down certain formulas time and time again. It turns out that it barely helped me out, and it would have been an infinitely better use of time to study worksheet problems.
ReplyDeleteLast year every morning I remember looking forward to your energy. The way you rationalize the school year being almost over is classic Ethan. I don't know how many times I've heard you say that it's almost Winter Break even though we were in the middle of September. It's really important to keep the perspective in mind that the grades we get now and everything we do now isn't going to matter in 10 years or even 2 years, so we should try to relax a little. Thank you for having such a fun mindset to be around!
ReplyDeleteEthan, congratulations on learning how to "play the game of school". In life, learning how to prioritize and work efficiently is one of the most useful skills one can have. I hope you'll be able to balance your football watching, tailgating, and academics for the next 4 years.
ReplyDeleteEthan, you present some really good advice here. I agree that you have to set aside you desire for prettiness and perfection in order to just get things done. I think that is one of the hardest things to do and one I am working on.
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