Time, a Precious Commodity!

Time, who has time today? Students think teachers have lot of time. Teachers think students have lot of time. Dad thinks mom has lot of time. Mom thinks kids have lot of time. I think you have lot of time and you might think I have lot of time to be writing this…. Oh wait; don’t we all have 24 hours a day?!
24 hours: What do we do with them? So, we don’t have time problem; we have time management problem! We want more time to sleep in the morning and we all press the snooze button when the alarm rings (if you keep an alarm in the first place!) We want to watch “5 more mins” of IPL – now that RCB is reaching finals!

During the so called “study holidays”, you take a book with complete determination to finish that chapter. Few lines into the first page, your phone rings. No, it’s not your friend calling you up to chat with you, but she has a doubt. Unfortunately, the phone call doesn’t end with that one doubt – it continues with topics of movies you want to watch after exams, the trips you might be planning, music, IPL, what not until your mom shouts at you. Then you go back to few more lines in the same page and you can’t keep your eyes open anymore! You say to yourself “I can study better if I take a power nap” How long is the power nap? 2 - 3 hours sometimes! It just goes on this way and you really do not know when your day came to an end. When you look back at the entire day (if you care enough to do so, that is) you see nothing has been done. So here I have compiled few tips for time management during exams. Do read and most importantly – implement!

1. Make a To-Do List Every Day.
Put things that are most important at the top and do them first. And don't forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments.
2. Use Spare Minutes Wisely.
When you’re commuting on the bus or train, use the time to get some reading done.
3. It's Okay to Say No.
If your friend asks you to go to a movie on a Thursday night and you have an exam the next morning, realize that it's okay to say no. Keep your short- and long-term priorities in mind.
4. Find the Right Time.
You'll work more efficiently if you figure out when you do your best work. For example, if your brain handles math better in the afternoon, don't wait to do it until late at night.
5. Review Your Notes Every Day.
Reviewing helps you reinforce what you've learned, so you need less time to study one day before the exam.
6. Get a Good Night's Sleep.
Your brain needs rest to perform at its peak. Lack of sleep makes the day seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult.
7. Communicate Your Schedule to Others.
If phone calls or text messages are proving to be a distraction, tell your friends that you are only available at certain times of day and not to expect a response at other times.
8. Don't Waste Time Agonizing.
Instead of agonizing and procrastinating, just do it. Wasting an entire evening worrying about something that you're supposed to be doing is not productive, and can increase your stress.

If you just follow the above with enough discipline, you’ll be able to rock your exams with just 5-6 hrs of studies per day. You have the remaining time to use it as you wish. All the best folks! Looking forward to your comments :)

What's Your Problem?!

Problems, problems, problems – who has not faced them? I have, you have; the person whom you have a problem with also has! I often come across people exclaiming statements like “Why do I have all the problems in this world?”, “I’m in deep trouble!”, “Why me of all people?”, “You don’t understand my problem!”
The question is not “What’s your problem?”; the question is what you do with them!

I believe in the statement – “In every problem lies an opportunity”. I know you tend to think this is nonsense when you are really depressed and confused and cannot think of a solution. But trust me, Life gives you a problem so that you overcome one of your weaknesses or learn a valuable lesson or to prepare you for the future. All having the same meaning – Opportunity!
So the first and foremost thing you absolutely have to do with a problem is to change the way you think about it. Plastic surgery is very much necessary. Then look at it once again.

But before all this, I mean, before you feel you have a ‘Big’ problem, there’s something you can do. Consider this: Life always throws small stones at you to make you realize something. But you ignore them saying “How can these small stones affect me?!” Next, the stones come in a slightly larger size. This time you are a little hurt but you still ignore them because you feel they can’t put you down. They get larger next time and you still don’t decide to deal with them. You ignore them once again. Finally comes a day when Life decides to send ‘one big boulder’ your way! That’s when you end up saying statements I’ve quoted in the beginning.

If you can just recognize those small stones and start learning at that very moment, probably the big boulder would never come your way. It’s easily said than done. But it’s easier in life any day! If you cannot recognize those small stones, start observing yourself when you procrastinate anything. That’s a signal. Never postpone something, have a ‘Do it NOW!’ attitude always.

Do post in your comments if this post helped you in any way. Any kind of feedback accepted. Thank you!