If there is one thing I pride myself on, it's my ability to get things done. For as long as I can remember, I've always managed to fit everything in; throughout my childhood, I tried out various sports, from swimming to fencing to horse-riding; I played various instruments, including the violin, piano, and double bass, and went to Portuguese classes after school.
By secondary school, I was attending classes from 8.50am until 4.15pm, often followed by an hour of orchestra, and several hours of homework in the evening. On top of this, I would volunteer, work towards leadership awards, have music lessons (and practice most days after school), and be part of lunchtime clubs. As I got older the activities varied, from the EDCL certification to driving lessons, and yet I always managed to make time for house parties and socialising, whilst achieving high grades.
Although it sounds very intense, I think that my secondary school played a massive role in making me productive: with the insane workload and long hours, I learnt how to manage my time in a way that prioritised the most pressing matters first, especially when it came to revision. One memory that jumps to mind, and which I am forever grateful for, is the Easter holiday before my GCSEs. All of my friends were constantly revising, and with 12 GCSEs, I thought I had better follow suit. I was very stressed and was trying to cram everything constantly, but my dad insisted that we go on holiday. I remember thinking that he didn't understand how much content I had to learn and how impossible of a feat it was, but after a lot of convincing I agreed to go. Just as I had feared, I barely studied throughout that week, and I was convinced that I was going to fail. As the exam period came upon us, there were weeks where I had an exam every day, with up to 3 exams in 1 day. Having completed 12 GCSEs, 4 AS Levels, 3 A Levels, and 2 degrees, I still stand by GCSEs being the hardest exams of my life. The quantity of content that you are expected to learn is ridiculous, and it is entirely a memory game. Anyhow, I managed to achieve 10 A*s and 2 As. My dad forcing me to take a week off during what had been the most stressful time in my life until then was one of the best things that he did for me. I learnt how to work efficiently, and realised that studying 24/7 is not only a waste of your life, but also counter-productive.
Since then, I don't get stressed for exams, and even in exam season I make sure to see friends often, read books, and have days off. In third year of my undergraduate degree, most of my friends were in the library for the vast majority of the day, and I ended up spending most of the last term with my brother (who was also at University of Bristol and has an even more lax attitude to exams) and in London, simply because most people didn't want to do anything but revise. I honestly think that I would have a similar mindset, were it not for my intense secondary school workload and that holiday before GCSEs. In fact, many of my school friends are more relaxed about exams than my uni friends, and I believe it's because we always knew that the work would get done in the end (and often the grade would be decent). I think that many people forget that life is passing them by, so whereas I insist on maintaining a stress-free lifestyle throughout exam seasons, others simply waste months of their lives feeling stressed and not enjoying it for the sake of 'doing well'. I am living proof that you can do just as well, if not better, whilst still socialising and having fun - it's all about balance. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that feeling burnt-out is counter-productive. Instead, I revise when I feel productive and in those rare hours I work hard to be very efficient. One of my friend's never socialised with us in third year because of exams, and now frequently says they wish we were back at uni. But life is not going to wait for you - after uni, there are job applications and interviews to prepare for, hopefully followed by work itself, which can be even more overwhelming if you are used to getting stressed in important situations - there is never going to be a 'right' time. This is what life is, and if you spend too much time stressing rather than actually enjoying it, then what's the bloody point? You can have a 'dream job' and money and success, but if you're not enjoying it then you're not succeeding at all.
Everyone has different goals for themselves and their lives; some of mine include: socialising often, obtaining academic and professional success, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, keeping up-to-date with current events, constantly learning new things though reading and listening to podcasts, travelling often, getting 8 hours of sleep a day, and acquiring new skills often. So the question is how do I manage all of these weekly?
For me, time management is key; take exercise for example, I know that I can't motivate myself to exercise in the evenings so I make sure I go on runs 3-4 times a week, as soon as I wake up. In order to keep up-to-date with current events and to learn new things, I listen to a variety of podcasts on my run. On the days that I don't run, I wake up at the same time and read instead. This is how I manage to complete my annual reading challenge on GoodReads. Additionally, I always carry a book with me when I commute in London or when I am on holiday. I am subscribed to the Economist and Financial Times, and receive daily emails about the most important current events, which I read whenever I have a couple of spare minutes in my workday. I know that I'm not productive in the evenings, so I always use my evenings to spend time with friends and family, and I work or revise during the day when I know I'm most productive. I will try to set aside one day a month to write multiple blog posts and schedule them throughout the month when I know I won't have as much time. I never miss social events and always make time for seeing friends, and I always make time for additional skills, such as learning how to code, attending talks and workshops, and practising the piano/bass, by scheduling them in.
I've managed to travel to over 65 countries because I prioritise it. I don't wait until everyone is free and for us to all decide on a place and time et cetera, because someone is always going to be broke, someone else is not going to be able to book in advance, another person won't want to go to that specific place et cetera. Instead I use my initiative and am very proactive in my approach - I find a date that works with my university/work schedule, decide on a place or region that I'd love to go to and works timing wise, and then suggest the place and week to different people and go with whoever is keen. I make sure to book travel in advance, because I've learned that unless plans are booked in or paid for, they simply don't happen. And this isn't just regarding holidays; whether it's a road trip, paint balling, or a night-out, I make sure to book these things or 'save the date' as much possible so that they end up happening. Similarly, if I want to try a new bar or restaurant, I book it online so it happens. In all aspects of my life, I try to be as proactive as possible: if I want to network, I reach out and organise a coffee with colleagues; if I want to catch up with an old friend, I message them to put something in the diary; if I want feedback at work, I ask for it. I don't wait for 'the right time', or for other people - if I want something, I go after it.
This mentality is almost definitely down to my love of travel; I used to go to the island my family are from, Madeira, every Summer with a mental bucket-list of things I wanted to do. I'd want to do everything straight away, and would always be told 'there's time, we'll do it next week', except that then everything would be left till the last week, where it would be raining, people would be working, or venues would be closed - and I never ended up getting half of the things done. Similarly with friends, we'd always want to go on a holiday or even just try a novel activity, but it would always end up getting forgotten about as everyone would wait for 'a convenient time for everyone'. When I started travelling frequently throughout my undergraduate degree, I realised that actually you don't have to wait until the end of term-time to travel - if you have a very chill week, book it. I am aware that most people don't have this mentality, but having read several memoirs, autobiographies, and documentaries, the main advice given by elders is that life is short, so to make the most of it. And that's exactly what I intend to do. That is why I've managed to travel so much, read so many books, and try so many activities, all alongside full-time education or work.
I wanted to study abroad, so I applied for LSE-UCT's Summer School; I wanted to skydive, so I booked it 3 hours beforehand on a free morning I had in Australia; I wanted to ride a motorbike, so I took a CBT course. For me, setting goals is essential; if I want to run a half-marathon, rather than just going on runs in the hope that I am eventually ready for a half-marathon, I book it first and work towards it second. Similarly, to start going to the gym, I had to plan which days I'd go (and hence, pack my gym bag the night before), as there was never going to suddenly be a convenient day to go. Life is for living, not just existing, and to achieve everything that you want to achieve, you have to be proactive.
I am a very goal-oriented person, and have found that making daily/weekly to-do lists works wonders for me. I am one of the few people I know for whom New Year's resolutions actually work, and each year I set myself goals which I frequently reassess throughout the year. It's through these goals that I learnt how to solve a Rubik's cube, donated blood, got fitter, and started this blog!
I'm very aware that many people can't function in this way, especially if they have others to look after, however it's important to know what is most important to you and to navigate your life around those goals. For example, I equally prioritise socialising, work, and down-time as I need all of these things in order for me to feel happy (or more simply: work hard, play hard). If you have extremely long work hours, try to fit friends into your day, for example if you need to take your dog for a walk, bring a friend, or meet up for a quick coffee over lunch. Capitalism has ingrained this productivity mantra in us so that many people feel that 'unproductive' time is wasted time, but I strongly disagree. In order to maximise productivity, you can't be burnt-out, and if socialising, sleeping, exercising, and learning new skills helps you to recharge, this is the opposite of wasted time. Organising your time efficiently means that there is time for everything, and given that life is short, it's essential to be proactive and make the most out of it. People wait to take a gap year or skydive 'when it's the right time' - but you could die tomorrow - there is literally no time like the present, tomorrow isn't guaranteed and I think people oftentimes forget to live while they're waiting for life to start.
Comments