Plan your career: Prepare yourself to settling down to college environment

(Siva Chandran)

The college atmosphere is totally different from the school. There are lot of differences between the two, starting from conducting oneself, the freedom the students enjoy, the way your peers behave, methods of teaching and the enormity of the space, etc. They could all disturb students in varied degrees, depending on their previous place and school, and prevent them from concentrating on their studies.

Moreover, one’s moving from multiple subjects to specialisation itself becomes a reason at times. Our minds race from one thing to another when we are anxious and not settled.

All of us have the ability to concentrate. It is only a matter of dedicated practice. Get started with your choice of study space. A place that will help you to reduce your distraction is a key to concentration.

Divide your home works and reading materials logically.

Have a time table in place. Our energy levels are different in different parts of the day. Have your study plans accordingly. Routine is important.

Without it, our days could be chaotic.

We don’t have an option than to design a ‘daily ritual.’

Keep taking notes during the class.

Keep on writing all that you understand and the way you understand.

Practice being time-bound. Set the goals to achieve for every study session.

For example, that you will have five to ten pages of written notes for each class or summarise the ten-page notes into three in the study hour.

Learn to take short breaks and get back refreshed. Let the breaks get you back to build variety. Change the studying of subjects every couple of hours and alternate heavy readings with active learning exercises.

Catch yourself with wandering thoughts and decide to stop it. Do it consciously with your thoughts to make it a habit.

Some suggest that one should schedule even the time for worrying and stay anxious! Write it down and keep it aside. It will help to you concentrate on more pressing matters. It is simply put, schedule your distractions.

Stay away from your cell phones while you study. The electronic gadgets meant to guide us efficiently with time become a platform easily to waste our time. You have to attain mental stamina to keep off during your study and work time. You have to limit your social media distractions.

Setting priorities and setting reminders for them are two sides of coins. We easily forget as we get busier. When we are engrossed in something, everything else takes back seat. Hence, it is important to prioritize daily tasks and set reminders to follow up.

Monitor yourself closely. It will guide to reflect and adjust. One has to do reflecting on one’s goals, tasks for the day, things to be achieved for the week and how to keep progressing?

Eat, drink and sleep. We think we don’t need a reminder. In the college campus, no one is going to remind you.

You have to manage these habits. They help you to be more productive.

I would like to conclude with my favourite suggestion of rewarding oneself.

Think you deserve credit for the achievement, JUST DO IT! There is nothing like a reward that could motivate a person but first committed to setting up a goal and achieving it.

Keep training your mind to concentrate on whatever possible techniques.

As the Roman Poet Horace said, “Rule your mind, or it will rule you.” Well, it might even ruin you.

—The writer is a career counsellor and mentor