Today I gave a little talk to the year 12s about travelling. Ruth agreed that it was a great idea to chat with them about their options in travelling, so I shared my own experiences with them.
I brought in a page from my infamous scrapbook that contains a few pictures of a 20-year-old Meg in England. They got a kick out of that. On the back side of that page is a print-out of an email I got from a very wise man when I was 21 or 22 and stressing out about college. I was reading it this morning and it made me smile. A lot of what he said then still applies. I'd like to quote it here, with thanks.
I know that you feel overwhelmed by what is ahead of you this semester. Try not to lose sight of the fact that this situation is temporary and that you will survive it. Meanwhile, a fwe things I have found useful over the years:
CHUNKS: Life comes in chunks. You know how I am fond of saying that flying was 99% boredom and 1% stark terror. That is how life is. You coast for what seems to be a rather short time and then you have to run like heck to keep the treadmill turning. If you look back at things, you will find that the slack times and the busy times really even out over the long haul. Remember that this chunk ends in early June.
PARTS: Nothing taken in the altogether ever looks doable. You need to divide tasks into parts which become simpler to do. Try to divide your efforts into doable parts.
SAMENESS: You will need to practice more than usual. However, all of your practice will go towards increasing your abilities. Try to get your teacher to let you practice your quartet materials for your private lesson. Combine tasks whenever possible.
SCHEDULE: Try to set a schedule where you know where you are and what you need to do. You should, for example, set aside an hour or so each day to practice. It doesn't have to be at the same time but you should do it every day. Make sure you log it when you do it. Try to work a little each day or each week on long term assignments even if your work only includes some preliminary research or outlining your thoughts. Set a goal of reading a fixed amount of material each day. As with practice, you can vary the time, in fact varying the time helps to keep the boredom at bay. Log the time you spend studying/reading.
LEISURE: Leisure is also very important. Schedule your Saturday afternoons or your Sundays to do those things you enjoy doing. Socializing, shopping, scrapbooking, stamping, etc. Don't schedule these things during your work schedule.
REVIEW: At the end of each day, look back at what you've accomplished and see how much closer to the goal (end of semester) you are. You will be surprised how quickly the fractions add up!
THIS TOO SHALL PASS - BUT: You will be finished with the semester before you know it, expecially if you refuse to get down on yourself. Remember, a semester is only about 80 days... As you go on with your adult life, there will be times when everything seems like it is happening at once. Sick kids, insane work schedule, car problems - all these things will happen at the most inopportune times. You have to remember and put them in perspective. Remember that the only true crises are those which impact your health or safety and those of your loved ones. Everything else is covered by insurance.
Have a good week.
Love ya,
DAD
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