Feb 13 2009
Back to Schoolers 101 - Evaluate: Obstacles
So …the reason we left CHALLENGES to the end of our Evaluation process is because - if you’ve spent time and energy on figuring out what resources are at your disposal, and what your priorities why ) - HOPEFULLY the obstacles to completing the items on your to-do list have pretty much resolved themselves.
But, yeah, I do know that that is not always the case…. and that some obstacles & challenges just are not easily resolved.
One of the biggest problems, of course, is that each day only has 24 hours…. it doesn’t matter how much you’re trying to juggle, or how many people’s needs you have to meet… you still only get 24 hours. And whether you like it or not, you DO need to sleep.
A once in awhile all-nighter is one thing… but too many of them is likely to wind up COSTING you more time than it gives you. Getting sick, cranky, overwhelmed, sleep deprived, clumsy, etc. etc. rarely contributes to success in the long run.
So - you have to work with what you have.
Other obstacles can include a lack of $$$$, confidence, or family support, and difficult profs …. all big issues that deserve a blog of their own, I think…. look for those sometime in the near future.
Now…. what’s left on your list re: challenges/obstacles/barriers?
I wish I could solve them all for you …. but since I don’t know what they are, I’m pretty useless, I guess…. I’d be happy to try to help find solutions if you’d care to email me with a specific situation though.
And in the meantime, I hope that you’ve discovered that by actually taking the time to break it all down and actually LOOK at what’s contributing to the load you’re trying to juggle has helped somewhat.
Sometimes, just recognizing the number of balls you’ve got on the go can help …. for me, anyway …. knowing that I DO have a lot to manage and therefore need to be a bit nicer and less demanding of myself can go a very long way to allowing me to take a deep breath and get on with it.
I would love to know what you think of the Back to Schoolers 101 series.
Is it helpful? (or, if you’re not actually doing the BTS thing, do you think it could/would have helped if/when you were?)
And most importantly, what other topics do you think would be a good addition?
School was never my problem, but I haven’t tried it with as many challenges as folks that go back to school with an established life. I bet it would be helpful to those that are.