New Beginnings and Familiar Routines

As we head into the fourth week of September, the fall semester of college is in full swing.  Students have been attending classes for several weeks, and the novelty of a new semester, for many, is subsiding.  If it were a typical fall semester, this would be the point when the first major assessments (quizzes, tests, papers) were due and when students begin to get rundown from enjoying the freedom of living on their own and interacting with their peers into the wee hours of the morning.  Since this is not a normal fall semester, some students are at home instead of on campus, or on campus, but confined to their dorms or apartments where there are multiple sources of distraction:  Netflix, YouTube….etc. If this scenario hits a little too close to home for you, do not despair.  The semester is still in its infancy, and there is time to course correct.  

If you have not made a weekly and a semester schedule, start today.  Begin at the micro-level with your weekly schedule.  In need of a weekly calendar?  I recommend the weekly fillable calendar offered by Oregon State University’s Academic Support Center.  To get the most out of this resource:

·       List of all of your classes, extracurricular commitments, sleep, and meals times on this calendar.  

·       Print the calendar and post it near your workspace.  

·       Make sure to review the calendar at the start and end of each day. 

This weekly calendar is particularly useful because it provides space for regular and special weekly priorities.   Once you have completed your weekly calendar, take a macro-look at the fall semester by creating a semester calendar.  The University of Pennsylvania's Weingarten Learning Center has a wonderful fillable semester calendar.  This calendar is specific to Penn but can be altered to suite any university.  For best results:

·       Number the weeks of the semester on the left side of the calendar. 

·       Go through your syllabi and enter all major assignments, assessments, and commitments. 

·       Adjust the calendar to include your university’s add/drop/withdraw deadlines, breaks, advance registration and exam periods.

·       Hang the calendar where you can see it and plan accordingly.  Acknowledge intense weeks and start preparing well in advance.

If you have doubts about your ability to set new goals a few weeks into the semester and stick to them, listen to Charles Schwab’s podcast “Choiceology with Katy Milkman,” for inspiration.  Milkman is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania with dual appointments at the Wharton School and the Perelman School of Medicine.  In Season 2, Episode 5 of Choicelogy, A Clean Slate: With Guests John Beshears, Richard Thaler, & Ray Zahab, Dr. Milkman explores how the “fresh-start effect” applies to major changes her guests have inacted to create positive change in their own lives.  Throughout the podcast, guests discuss the impact of setting behavorial goals and making an effort to initiate those goals on a specific date—a date of personal signifigance. The date could be any date: the start of a new year,  a new season, a birthday,  an anniversary, or at the start of a new week.  For those in need of a date, take your pick—Monday is just a day away and fall starts on Tuesday.  Good luck!