Finding Flow in College - Alizarin Capeland

 One of the weirdest, though not the most difficult, transitions from high school to college was how I handled the workload. I was used to being stuck in class for hours at a time so I never had to do homework. I simply did my work while in class when there was downtime. For me, finding a comfortable flow was as easy as breathing. Time in school meant a time to work so my brain was always "on" for those six hours and ready to absorb and output information. However, now in college, there is no specific setting for work and play. I have homework because there is no class time to work---it would just be a waste of time. College classes are much more streamlined than in high school. I just needed to get used to the idea of balancing work with my own pleasures and not getting overwhelmed. Of course, with any learning curve, there were mistakes and procrastination but these are the tips that helped me the most.

  1. Take advantage of gaps between classes. These are times when your brain is still in "work" mode, so use that to ease from classwork to homework. I like cramming all of my classes together each day so I do not have time to slack off or get tired between classes. If a class ends early, I find a space to work and stay there until my next class.
  2. Find a space that suits you. For me, I have to work in a space with others. I can't say why but there seems to be a kind of accountability when I know there are people around me. This means I like to work with friends or even just in public spaces like academic buildings or the library. Regardless, find a spot that is your study spot (but always have backups in case that space is taken). This signals to your brain that it is work time and it helps keep your work and play spaces separate.
  3. Pick a time to work. Much like finding a consistent space, finding a consistent time also tells your brain when to work. This can be any time but I find I work best in the evenings after dinner so that is my specific time. 
  4. Take breaks. It is easy to get caught up in working and lose track of time but once you've been working for a while and your concentration breaks, use that time. Get a snack, say hi to a friend, take a breather. You earned it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kip Redick Example of a Blog Post

 Page 4 Michael Taussig would suggest Juan's understanding of the meaning of a place emerges out of the process of an imitation of all the “differences” that we discern there. We mimic (in language and action) the full range of sounds, movements, and other sensory perceptions that come to us from the more than human world.” It’s hard to put a place that strikes us as sublime into mere words; we can try to describe it as a feeling and try to put language to that feeling, but sometimes the feeling of the beauty of nature or the power of a sacred space is too big to try to translate or make sense of. Would every place and experience be subjective, and would the discourse be the same? Would the mountain top make me feel the same as another? Or does my personal experience with the natural world and divine keep it intimate/ unique, or would my experience be relatable enough? The author uses the messiness, ambiguity, and mystery of people's deeply personal experience of ...
Read more

Rose Baker - Herbert's "Dune" and Martyrs

  In class, we talked about Jesus and Christianity as an example of myth. Myths and martyrs are dangerous to systems of control because even if they’re suppressed, they can survive and grow stronger. They last because they’re tied to belief, memory, and emotion---things you can’t fully erase. That’s what makes them more powerful than systems built on forced order or control. Even though much of the early church died gruesome deaths, and were consistently ordered to stop spreading the gospel, the "myth" of Jesus has continued for over 2000 years.      In Frank Herbert's  Dune , we see something similar. The Bene Gesserit know how powerful myths can be, and instead of waiting for one to form naturally, they build one on purpose. Through the Missionaria Protectiva , they plant stories and prophecies across different cultures, preparing the world for someone to fulfill the one part they can't fabricate, the living, breathing "savior" who must be visible and prov...
Read more

Joanah Eresechima - Blue Lock's Exploration of Flow

In the sixth chapter of American Camino , the concept of flow is extensively explained in the context of spiritual walking. It is described as unification of action and awareness to create a state in which thoughts are non-existent. The hiker just moves through the world, extremely aware and focused on the wilderness around them but unable to thoroughly reflect on it in that moment. It is only afterwards that the hiker is able to recall the memories from their flow state. Flow can occur in different types of people like artists, scientists and athletes (Redick 249). I was actually very surprised to see this term in the book because it becomes one of the central components in a manga I read called Blue Lock. The story followed a boy named Isagi Yoichi, a high school soccer player who got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a soccer program called Blue Lock meant to create the greatest striker in the world. Out of 300 players, he was ranked 299 th , making him one of the weakest p...
Read more