Tag Archives: work/life balance

Balancing School and Me-Time

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Hi everybody! I’m Noelle, and I’m so excited to join the team. More importantly, I’m excited to share my life at Riddle as a freshman. I think I’ll be able to give a different perspective, especially since I’m living on campus and I’m a part of some amazing clubs!

Starting off strong, and what I think is the most important, is your school to me time balance. My first semester at college was a busy one. I joined a lot of clubs, and I thought I could do it all. Homework assignment after homework assignment, I thought I would never break my cycle. I was losing my passion for my hobbies, and my days started to feel shorter. I realized that something needed to change when my answer to the question, “What’ve you been up to?” was always, “Eat, sleep, homework.”

Make time for yourself!

My first semester taught me that I wanted to live a comfortable life at Riddle. And that started with prioritizing “me time“. For my own definition, me time is when you set aside time to focus on your own body, mind, and overall well-being. It could be 30 minutes out of your day to take a walk, an hour to read a book, whatever your idea of “me time” could be. Lately, I’ve found comfort in the gym, reading, and photography. I was nervous about going to the gym at first, but you just have to do it, and then that fear will go away. I’ve always been into reading, but I never gave myself time to read. This semester, I’ve gotten through half of a book that I was putting off! Photography was something new to me, but through the Avion, I’ve had a couple really cool opportunities to practice and get better.

Here are some of the photos I took from the Rolex 24 (January 24th-25th)! It was my first time really working with a camera, and I had a lot of fun learning the different angles. I stayed 27 hours, and I slept at the speedway. I was unprepared for how cold it was going to be, so if you want to try that, bring a blanket! But truthfully, I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world, and I will definitely be going to more races in the future. It was also a time for me to relax from schoolwork and other responsibilities.

Be smart when planning out your days

I don’t know about you, but a good day-to-day schedule is what gets me through the months. Having a schedule everyday allows me to block out time for my allocated me time. That way, I can still get my studying in, but I’m using my time wisely. I have breaks between my classes, so after my earliest class, that’s my time to go to the gym. Before bed, I block out time to read some of my book. Giving yourself time during the day to get your work done will save you from the nights of endless red bulls and random scribbles on whiteboards. Trust me, it’s not always the best choice. Sleep should be another priority, because the mid-day naps WILL hit you hard if you don’t get enough sleep. Can’t wake up early? Don’t pick morning classes, because they might just be the bane of your existence. Can wake up early? Then pick those morning classes and get them done early.

Living comfortably

When you start to prioritize your mind and body, that’s when you truly begin to live comfortably. Good routines will start to sprout from building good habits. Consistency might sound overwhelming (it certainly was for me), but it’s just part of the process. Make time for your forgotten hobbies, because it can become your peace in a new environment, like college.

Going forward with the blog, I want to leave a favorite quote of mine at the end!

“Slow down, you’re doing fine,” (“Vienna” by Billy Joel)

Catch you on the flip side,

Noelle 🌪️

Two Weeks Left & Current To-Dos

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Happy almost December everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, back from Myrtle Beach where I spent my Thanksgiving break with my family and I wish break was longer. Traffic was pretty bad coming back south and my drive ended up taking about an extra three hours! Regardless, my break was so much fun and I was sad to head back to FL alone as it was such a great experience spending time with family.

Post Thanksgiving 5K with my dad!
Post Thanksgiving 5K with my uncle! We ran together and ended up winning “medals” for fast times!

The 5K was probably one of my favorite moments over the break, other than watching Jimmy Fallon’s Christmas special on NBC – 5 More Sleeps Til Christmas.

My To-Do list before the week begins includes various errands like filling up my water bottle, taking in my bags from my Thanksgiving Break trip from the car and unpacking, laundry, working out, doing yoga, putting up my residence hall closing/end of the semester Resident Advisor (RA) bulletin board in my hall, filling out the end of course evaluations for all my classes on Canvas, and working on my Aircraft Preliminary Design group project and report.

There are about two weeks left to the semester before final exams. The last day of classes for the Fall 2021 semester is Thursday Dec 9, followed by Study Day on Friday Dec 10! Final exams this year are December 11-15 and Graduation is Dec 16! For additional semester closing information about important dates, please check out your RA’s bulletin board in your Residence Hall, as well as ERAU-DB’s academic calendar which can be found here.

In preparation for the end of the semester and finals it’s extremely important to emphasize your health. Getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, eating right, and taking care of yourself are extremely important! I too am guilty of falling into the end of semester syndrome where I drink more coffee than usual and sometimes don’t make time to workout or eat particularly nourishing food because I am too busy with homework or studying. Truly though, when you are busy it is even more important to make sure you are being kind to your body and your mind and putting energy into a healthy work/life balance.

Some tips to prep for the busy days to come – make sure you have quick and healthy snacks on hand (cut up fruit or pre-portion bags of pretzels or crackers for grab-and-go style), set timers for studying to keep yourself on as much of a set schedule as possible, set an alarm for a cut-off time each night where you do an activity to decompress such as making a cup of tea, going for a walk, listening to music or a podcast, working out, or reading a book. Additionally, you can try setting intentions for each day either before you go to bed at night or by incorporating them into your morning routine (perhaps while you drink a cup of coffee or tea). Setting intentions helps keep me focused throughout the day and can be referred back to by writing them in the Notes app of your phone or by putting them on sticky notes around your desk/study space. Remembering your daily intentions can help focus your thoughts on your end goals and re-center your mindset by helping to motivate you if you become busy or stressed! Keep on keeping on folks, will report back soon.

Work/Life Balance and Little Joys

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Happy almost Halloween everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, at the end of Fall Break, and half way through the semester! 

I spent my fall break doing entirely too much homework everyday, and sleeping. My break didn’t really seem like a break, but generally, doing your homework is always a better option than not! Until the semester ends there is never a time where I don’t have assignments to do. Thus, it is all the more important to find time for what makes you happy in order to create a sustainable routine and work/life balance. My life tends to be 99% work, but I am looking forward to having more time for rest and fun during Winter Break!

My go-to for finding small happy breaks in my busy days has been centered a lot on finding joy in my routine. Sometimes my workouts are too similar and I get bored with the same monotonous schedule that is school, studying, working, etc. Don’t get me wrong, college is extremely challenging and I am never at a loss for things to do. I am practically swimming in homework, papers, projects, and presentation assignments, on top of meetings, and ROTC obligations, but I’ve reached a point where the busy-ness isn’t exactly new or exciting. There’s always new assignments, but even they fall into a rhythm of similar challenges and stresses. Lately I’ve been thinking how interesting it is that despite everything new, such as different classes, new people in group projects, new friends, the flow of school is the same.

Something I’ve focused more on this semester is making time for things that make me happy on the day to day, even when I’m busy. For me, this looks like painting my nails every few weeks because it makes me feel more put together during the busy days. 

This week’s nail color of choice!

Small joys of everyday life also looks like trying new tea flavors when I’m studying, lately in the evenings I’m liking Peppermint and Chamomile! I’ve also been enjoying FaceTiming my mom once a week, texting my sister, my family, and my friends who I don’t see everyday more, and Peppermint Hot Chocolate mix. This also includes new plants! Recently I was in charge of organizing a team builder during our RA staff meetings, so we planted little cups of basil and cilantro, mine just began sprouting!

My new basil plant babies!

When I’m stressed I also tend to focus on everything that I need to do, rather than everything I’ve done, it’s SO important to recognize yourself for all the hard work you do! I’ve been trying to do face masks a few evenings every week to decompress before I go to sleep, and help my skin stay hydrated, which always helps me wake up feeling more refreshed and happy – even on the early PT mornings.

A BIG event that I am very excited for is graduation and commissioning in spring, but it’s easy sometimes to lose sight of the shining end goals when you’re in the middle of a sea of work. Keep your goals in mind constantly, and let them help motivate you when the routine gets boring. Trying new snacks or drinks helps spice up everyday life, and new music, workout routines, and self care that you wouldn’t regularly do is so much fun too! Keep on keeping on folks, will report back soon.