October 17th, 2022
When thinking about what to do for a blog post, the idea of a week in the life came to mind. Apart from being a McNair scholar, I am an incredibly busy person. I have my grants for research, my Supplemental Instruction Leader (SIL) job, my job at Subway, as well as being a full-time student. I have learned that in order to prevent burnout, is to stay organized and plan my week to the hour. Here is the rundown of a typical week:
Monday
My week starts on Monday. You will notice that the beginning of the week is busier than the end of the week. This is because I know my limits, and I know I will be tired by Friday. On Mondays, I have classes from 9 am-12 pm. After classes, I hold my office hour for the class that I am a Supplemental Instruction Leader. Once my office hour is finished it is time to go home and work on either research or homework.
Tuesday
Tuesdays are lighter days in terms of classes; I only have one online at 11 am. After that class, I have research meetings. I dedicate 1 pm-4 pm on Tuesdays strictly for working on research. At 4 pm I hold my first SIL session of the week. The purpose of these sessions is to help the students in the class develop better study skills. I am not re-lecturing, but rather moderating a discussion session.
Wednesday
Wednesdays are my longest days. I again have class from 9 am-12 pm. After that, I have a four-hour break, where I go back home and do homework. I lead another SIL session at 4 pm and have the McNair class at 5 pm. After this, I am typically tired and end up falling asleep way earlier than I normally do. Here is a picture my roommate took of me napping on the couch with one of the cats after a Wednesday night.
Thursday
Thursdays are usually a little lighter; I have a class at 9 am and an online class at 11 am. After this class, I again either do homework or research. I lead the last SIL session of the week at 3 pm. After that, I am done for the day. I go home and work on homework.
Friday
Fridays are my lightest days, with classes from 9 am-12 pm. After classes, I go home and hang out. I'll work on research and homework for a bit, but will typically hang out with my roommate and unwind from the week.
Saturday & Sunday
On the weekends, I pick up a few shifts at Subway. I will also work on homework and research. Weekends are also a time when I hang out with friends. It is important to me to not only focus on my studies and research because I know I will get burnt out. So far this semester, I have kept up a good work-life balance and I am not as stressed as I have been in the past.
Overall, even though I am a busy person, I have learned to set boundaries for myself. In past semesters, I have not done so and it impacted my mental and physical health, as well as my studies. It does take effort, but avoiding burnout is a skill that I needed to learn.