The past week has been one of the busiest this semester; I’ve even had dreams of myself writing papers and giving presentations. Although all the commotion can be stressful, I am determined to keep myself motivated as much as possible!
Lately, I’ve found myself becoming enamored with a particular scene from the 1950s Cinderella. It is the scene where Cinderella sings “A dream is a wish your heart makes,” and I am not enamored solely by the singing, but also by how calmly she wakes up. She's doing all the chores in the house and gets treated like crap by her stepsisters, but she still manages to wake up so elegantly.
I know it is a fictional movie, but it kept me wondering what it would be like to wake up every morning feeling refreshed and happy. It’s not realistic for every morning to be perfect, and since my mornings have been so busy finishing assignments from the night before, I’ve been far from feeling well in the mornings.
I feel better in the evenings after I’ve completed a boatload of different assignments and gone to classes. Once the morning comes, however, it feels like so much work is looming. I despise that feeling in the morning because I want to wake up feeling more motivated and trusting of myself to complete the assignments ahead of me.
I’ve been bettering my time management, which means that whenever I am completing an assignment depending on the length of it, I will put a timer for when it needs to be completed. For example, if I need to finish reading an excerpt from a textbook, I may give myself around an hour and thirty minutes to complete. Then I’ll break for 10 or 15 minutes and go for a walk before beginning my next task. Sometimes this method does not work, especially if I am exhausted or if the assignment is just super long!
I do find that it helps me feel less stressed, and I get more accomplished because I feel the pressure of the timer. With the newspaper, this blog, and my classes, I find myself having to be able to manage my time.
This week, I have three articles to edit for the opinion section of the Mountain Echo. Additionally, I have an article to write and interviews to conduct, so I've been quite busy ensuring I meet my deadlines. It's a mix of excitement and apprehension, but my experience with the paper has been an educational journey, providing me with insights into the Mount and its community through the perusal of past editions.
For this week's article, my interviews include President Trainor, first-year students, and the Director of Admissions. This process helps me connect with the school in a meaningful way.
As for my overarching goal, it remains consistent: I aim to find a way to make my mornings less anxiety-filled and more hopeful. All the work I take on serves as a steppingstone toward self-improvement for the present and the future.