There are a few things that may take you out of equilibrium when coming to the U.S.
You probably didn’t have good internet in your home country and now are amazed by the network that UCI provides you! So, it may not take long that you notice you’ve become addicted to internet and social media without which you cannot start the day, and go to bed at night! How many hours of your productive time will be spent on this?
Or you may be consumed by time spent in the lab working or studying. Afterall, we are graduate students.
“I am going to do a great in my program, so I have to basically live in the lab!” …
“Hi Faezeh, are you coming to the party tonight?” – “No! I have got projects, I have classes, I have a lot to do.”
“What are you going to eat tonight?” – “I take a bagel with some cheese, and a big coffee from Java City… I should be working all night tonight!”
“How often are you going to gym?” – “Well, I wish I could, but I am very busy with my research! I work 24/7!”
Those are just a few scenarios when may find yourself overwhelmed, not knowing how to get back into balance. Worse – you may end up sick, feeling depressed or isolated!
We all have to take care of different aspects of life. How to balance life when you become busy with graduate studies is the key question! It can be difficult when you start your program in a new environment, new country and far from family who helped you before.
I think to find the answer of that question, we first need to be aware! Be aware that we have to take care of ourselves, and we CAN, and take the full responsibility for that. Also, practicing tips to increase your focus and productivity can help you successfully manage your work, and gain better quality time for other aspects of your life. That’s why I focus on productivity on the rest of this blog.
I’d like to introduce you to Brendon Burchard, a best seller author on motivation and high performance. Google his name and you’ll find lots of free YouTube videos. He shares lots of good tips for managing time and how to “live fully, love openly and make your difference today” in his own words.
I am going to summarize some of his 5×50 productivity tips and advise you to watch his video (http://2.highperformanceacademy.com/5x50video?autoplay=1).
- Make sure you get enough sleep! 7-8 hours at night. And remember 1 hour before bed, quit any screen like phone, computer or tablet. Get ready for sleeping! It is very important to have a good rest at night, for your health, and for your productivity during the day. If you are skipping your sleep, know that you can save time by sleeping more and better.
(From me: If you can manage your time and increase your productivity, I bet you won’t have many working nights!)
2. When you wake up in the morning, drink lots of water, and stretch your body for 20 minutes. In any way that feels good to you, but stretch your body! Then spend 30 minutes to plan for your day. What are the projects that you need to work on? Who are the people you need to reach out to? and Whom are you waiting to hear from? These are the questions that determine how to approach your inbox and checking emails! Don’t get into other people agendas by checking all your emails, and get plenty things to do before you know what You plan to do for the day to progress your work!
3. After each 50 minutes working, get a little rest in terms of drinking water, deep breath and stretching, maybe a short walk outside. Even if you are so involved in your current project and don’t want to leave it, stand up and stretch for a couple of minutes.
4. Renew your energy (possibly in the afternoon) by a 30-minutes-walk outside, and a 20 minutes meditation. Not necessarily together, but do both to recharge yourself. You renew your energy and vitality up until night and bed time, and you can use it not just for work, but enjoy it with your friends and family.
These tips would help you increase your productivity and so you are less likely to get overwhelmed by your work. Therefore, you have enough time for your family, friends, shopping, cooking and taking the best care of you! I would suggest you check his website (http://www.highperformanceacademy.com/HPA-1pageproductivity.pdf)