There have been eight days of classes at STU and I have already started making to-do lists. I’m not sure if it’s because fourth year is unusually busy or if I’m just being overzealous about finishing assignments. Either way, the work has to be done.
Now that both basketball and classes are in full swing my body and mind are suffering. I am just getting over the mental grogginess that follows four months of summer, so writing my first assignments is proving to be a challenge. On top of that there are practices and pre-season games to prepare for, which are taking a toll on my body.
Despite the mental and muscular fatigue, I am trying to set myself up for a no-stress semester by starting assignments weeks in advance. Although it creates a heavier work load now, I’m hoping it will make my life easier once regular season starts.
That is one of the challenges of being a student-athlete; always planning to accommodate your sports schedule.
For me organization is second nature. So much so that the late release of the STUgenda actually stressed me out. I would go through my class syllabus and highlight important dates, but then have no agenda to write in. This resulted in multiple “due date” sticky notes covering my desk.
It’s probably not normal to be that concerned with due dates, but the STUgenda is a useful resource.
Organization is one of the only things you can control as a student-athlete and it increases the probability of getting assignments done on time. Procrastination is not an option, especially considering basketball lasts almost the entire academic year.
Even though being organized and conditioning yourself to start assignments early can be a pain, it pays off. It gives you more time to edit your work and limits the number of all-nighters needed to complete assignments. It’s especially helpful if you aren’t the type of person who can fire off 2,000 words in one sitting.
Most importantly, organization gives you the freedom to focus only on your sport when it’s game day.
