Antonio was melancholic and I know why.
This post is a 4 minute read so hear me out.
Antonio started a new academic year and has no idea where to start. Antonio is kind of addicted to a number of things like social media and Netflix. But, Antonio also wants to top the state to impress Antonio’s classmates, friends and relatives so that they stop mocking him and take him seriously for once in Antonio’s life. Antonio is stuck.
I’m sorry. Did I say Antonio? I meant you. You are stuck. You have a number of things you should be doing and no idea how to pull it off.
But congratulations! You’ve made it to this website which means you’ve successfully crossed step 1, and getting somewhere is always better than getting nowhere. So pat yourself on the back and drink some water because the journey ahead is simple but not easy.
I’m a student myself who struggeled quite a bit in majr areas of my life last year but came through eventually. I made this blog so that I can help other students who might be struggling like I was.
You’ve got questions, and I’ve got answers.
This week, I want to talk to you about schedule planning.
Have you ever created a timetable but failed to follow it? Or have you ever started off with something at the start of the year but failed to go through with it?
And then, have you ever wondered why you go through phases once in a while where you have this intense hatred for yourself and guilt but you don’t know where it comes from?
Let’s start talking.
Problem 1 - lack of motivation
The main problem behind why you’re not able to follow a schedule is because you’re inconsistent. You’re motivated one day but you’re not the next. What else can you expect when you work on motivation? You cannot constantly keep yourself motivated no matter what you do.
Which is why I present to you solution number 1 - Work on discipline, not motivation.
Motivation is not always in your control. The body looks for reasons to be demotivated so that it does not need to work.
Every bad decision you make, every fight you have with your mother, every sibling quarrel, is going to put you off and keep you away from studying.
Discipline however, is a skill where you train your mind to not accept any other outcome than finishing the task at hand. Whatever your mental state might be, finishing a task because you see it as a duty and not an option, is discipline. It is a skill that is perfected through repetition and nothing else.
Perfecting discipline gets you exactly where you want to be in your life. Irrespective of the countless reasons why you shouldn’t be doing the task, you still doing for that one reason - because it is your duty to do it.
Perfecting discipline is the only way to follow a schedule.
Problem 2 - lack of flexibility
You want to go to the gym at 5 for one hour and then want to start studying eco exactly at 6.
While you’re walking back from the gym you notice that it’s already one minute past 6 and now the entire schedule is invalid because of how you failed to plan your schedule according to time blocks which suit YOU, YOUR body and YOUR exhaustion levels. A mistake everyone tends to make, is confuse discipline with overworking. Overworking sounds like a problem nerds made up for the sake of it but it is real. It leads to burnout which then ruins your entire schedule and affects literally all aspects of life. No matter what happens, creating a schedule NEEDS to involve breaks and something I like to call “buffer blocks”
Having 1 or 2 hours as a buffer block means that if something came up in your personal life that you couldn’t avoid, you can still make time for it in your day without throwing away your schedule thinking that it’s meaningless. It also means putting away time in your life for YOUR wants and things that make YOU happy. Planning your entire day down to the minute is not for us guys. Trust me.
Here are some of my favourite ways to make a time table -
Canva - bacause of how organised, neat and tidy it is
Spreadsheets
By hand - because why not?
These are the major problems that students struggle with when creating a timetable.
The minor things that no one talks about is the want to intentionally go against your schedule out of spite, or the distractions that come with being a student today.
Don’t you worry though, I’ll be touching upon those things soon.
For now though, why don’t you keep everything I said in mind and create a schedule keeping YOU at the centre of it? Why don’t you try your best to follow it and if you fail, what’s stopping you from trying again?
Try your best today folks. Stay strong :)
Comments