Students blog

If you are lacking daily motivation, writing down your goals can be a game changer as this will be a constant reminder of what you are striving for. The three main goals I believe everyone must have written down and be constantly focused on are your career, health, and leisure goals. These three types of goals have worked well for me because they help me feel balanced in life and help me stay self-motivated every day. 

Breaking it down

Career goals are goals you hope to achieve in a certain profession such as working for your dream company, becoming a doctor, a professional athlete, or perhaps a musician. These are considered long-term goals; many may get discouraged because it seems like it will be years before the goal is achieved. A great way to stay motivated is to set smaller goals to reach the ultimate goal. An example of a small goal for a student can be getting an A on exam in one of their major courses. Breaking down long-term goals into smaller achievable goals will help you sustain your drive to reach that final career goal. 

Daily practice

Setting goals to maintain good health has helped me become more accountable each day because health-related goals usually require daily practice. While you can certainly have long-term health goals, this area is very compatible with setting smaller achievable goals. One small goal that I have set for myself during this pandemic is to get at least 10,000 steps a day. I have my long-term health goals as well, however setting this small goal for myself has kept me self-motivated in times where I might otherwise have been inactive due to the closure of gyms. 

Get out of your comfort zone

Leisure goals can be short-term or long-term and vary from person to person depending on their interests. This is a type of goal that can allow you to get out of your comfort zone. Some examples can be traveling to different countries, taking road trips, visiting all the beaches in your area, or trying a new adventure like skydiving. Leisure goals are important for your mental health because it is a time to reward yourself and destress from the demands of school or work.

Setting career, health, and leisure goals has allowed me to stay self-motivated. I encourage you to take time to think about your goals and write them out. Investing the time to set both short-term and long-term goals will change your mindset and you will constantly want to keep improving to reach those goals. 

Like many students in this uncertain time, my life quickly changed with the spread of COVID-19. My school moved to virtual classes and most areas on campus closed. My on-campus job was suddenly not necessary anymore. My summer internship might even be affected. My friends and I all moved back home for the unforeseeable future, so we are all separated. With so much change going on in everyone’s lives, it is important to stay focused on the positive and try not to dwell on the negative. I am trying to make this a learning experience for myself, knowing that anything can happen and needing to be prepared for the unknown. 

Adjust to change

I am still adjusting to online courses, as this will be my first time taking an online course at Fresno State University. Although I am worried about how my learning will be impacted by taking virtual courses, I know that there are many resources online that I can utilize to make sure I understand the concepts. Many students are also worried they will have a harder time keeping track of their assignments. Keeping an updated schedule or setting reminders of when something is due will be key to success in a virtual classroom. I know in the end this will only make me a stronger student if I roll with the punches.

Focus on the positive 

The media tends to focus on the negative impact of COVID-19, however I think we need to try and look at all of the people who have recovered from it, too. As a college student, it is hard to focus on school at all with all of this going on. But I’ve realized that once I stopped scrolling through endless news updates, I was able to refocus on school and get more things done. It is important to know what is going on in regard to this situation, but we all have to keep our mental health in check. While it is important to keep up with current events, look for all the good happening in the world as well. Don’t just get sucked into a time warp where you are only doing homework or not doing anything at all; be sure to take time for you and the things you enjoy. 

These are uncertain times that seem to be constantly changing; it can be overwhelming. One thing I can do is remain positive and hope everything gets better soon. Students across the world have been thrown into a whirlwind, but by being flexible and focusing on the positive, we will make it through together.

Once the semester starts everyone’s schedules become busy. Between classes, work, friends, and health, there is so much to fit into their days. Everyone has different tasks throughout their day they need to get done and planning ahead makes that much easier. My schedule changes every day and there are tasks that come up unexpectedly; however, I have found a few methods that make my day less stressful. 

Keep Your Calendar Updated

One method to implement as a college student to accomplish all of your daily tasks is to make sure you have everything on your calendar. Whether it be a physical calendar or the one on your phone, having everything up to date on there will remind you what needs to be accomplished that day. Putting things in when you know you need to do it will make sure you don’t overlap anything.

Make Your Calendar Effective

To make a more effective calendar, add the amount of time each task should take you. For example: eat breakfast from 6 to 6:30 a.m., go to the gym from 7 to 8:30 a.m., and so on. Doing this will help you stay on pace to accomplish your daily goals, make sure you do not miss anything important, and allows you to see what times you have open. Adding times will also help you avoid overloading yourself and help you prioritize everything while also taking care of yourself.

Know Your Priorities

Prioritizing plays a huge part when adding to your calendar. Make sure you do not leave all of the longer tasks for the end of the week because it will be too much. Do the most important tasks first and try to take advantage of gaps that open up to complete other tasks. Taking advantage of gaps allows you to have more time on the weekends and release some of that stress. Prioritizing also helps you avoid procrastinating and keeps you on track for doing your best.

Build in Breaks

It is important to remember to take care of your health when having a busy schedule. You shouldn’t be skipping lunch to complete a task or only sleeping one hour because of an assignment. Your calendar is important, but doing only what is on there is not healthy. Make time for yourself. When I know there will be a home football game, I will plan ahead to make sure that come game-day I am not stressing over things that could have been accomplished earlier. Having an updated calendar will allow you to avoid these kinds of problems throughout the semester. 

Overall, as a college student it is easy to take on more than you can handle and sometimes it is OK to do a little less to make sure you are not over stressing each day. Keep your calendar and remember it is OK to say no and devote some time to yourself. Find the balance that fits for you.

Being a full-time student and having to manage school, work, social life, and family can be hard. There are many different reasons why college students get stressed out throughout the whole semester, so finding something that helps you cope with it all is key. I have found that working out and working on my health helps me forget about everything going on for a minute and just enjoy that time to make myself better. Here are three ways to make time for your health and keep your stress level under control.

Set a Schedule

One way I have been able to manage my time while in college is to set a daily agenda of everything I need to do, including my workout. Keeping a schedule is crucial in planning your day, so everything you have to do gets done on time. Sometimes you might think you aren’t able to get your workout in because you have a test to study for, but exercising actually helps you retain more information. It gives your brain a break and your body an outlet to release some energy. For me, making time for the gym has become a habit and my day is better once I get my workout in. Whether it be at six in the morning or nine at night, I always make it a point to go. While it may be hard to prioritize, finding something that separates you from your day-to-day stress can bring more balance into your life.