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… the articles in the new edition of the career service papers (csp). It will be published next Monday. On my desk a sample version, lacking the glue that keeps the pages together. If you want to have the digital version in advance please send an e-mail to marcellus.menke@uni-siegen.de with the subject line: “csp 2024 in advance digital”. Of course you easily can have the articles translated by an automatic translator of your choice, just to make things easier and give you a first access. And if you take part in our program „German in a Nutshell“, you can also try reading the German text. After all, that’s the original. Hope you enjoy the new csp.

…but knowing the tools to planning could help make the process easier, and eventually a habit. In the next biweekly post, we will discuss the essential tools a student needs to start planning. But first, we have to understand why planning is important. Here are four reasons for you to seriously consider planning in the spring semester.

First, Planning Gives direction. A clearly defined goal helps to steer you in the right direction when many inputs cloud your thinking, a concisely laid out, preferably written, goal would help ground you when you are feeling lost. For example: I want to graduate in two years, then I need to take X number of exams every semester to reach this goal.

Second, planning saves time. Much of the micro tasks which need to be done on a day to day basis could be forgotten if they are not written down, and sometimes they are what you need to do to reach your goal. Planning time for these tasks daily would ensure you never forget them.

Third, planning ensures you have enough time to relax. When your daily scheduled study sessions are over, the rest of the day is yours to relax or pursue personal projects.

Fourth, planning creates accountability which could be motivating to stick to your schedule the next day.

It is important to know that creating the habit of planning needs time. So be patient with yourself and stay tuned for our planning tools post on 29.02!

… is sometimes the best decision you can make when you are overwhelmed with tasks. When your To-do list gets long, it is sometimes difficult to focus solely on the next small step. But that is how progress could start. One small step after the other guarantees that you reach your desired destination. It could be that you need longer, or that you are faster than you had planned. Although that could be disappointing or frustrating sometimes, it helps to accept that this was what you were capable of at that given time. The mindset of an ongoing rushed competition could be very harmful for some people, it could backfire and make that small step feel like a leap. So take things at your own pace and create deadlines that are suitable for you. 

Sometimes the unclear path is the one with prettiest jounrey.

… in our ‚dealing with procrastination series‘, we have two more tips to deal with procrastination. As discussed in our earlier posts, the starting point is admitting that you are procrastinating. Then comes, choosing a study location and eliminating distractions. You might see progress after these first three steps, but you are also likely to feel a little bored studying alone. This is likely to happen every once in a while, when it kicks in, we recommend step four.

Step Four: Work with a study group.

When you are not highly motivated, it might be difficult to bring yourself to study. Studying with friends or classmates could help bring you in the mood. You could also discuss your assigned topics together or explain to each other any difficult concepts. The downside to this is that it could be distracting for some people. In that case, studying together in the library could be a better alternative.

Step Five: Set achievable goals.

It is crucial not to overwhelm yourself with more than you- or anyone- could do. Set realistic goals and plan breaks because you will need them. A good strategy is to write down everything you need to do on one paper, and then take 3 items and write them down on another paper. The second paper is your actual to-do list, when you finish with the first three items, you can add more, and so on until you have finished- or the day has.

Stay tuned for the last post in our dealing with procrastination series, coming up in two weeks!

Don’t forget to check the remaining workshops for this semester, you can register on unisono!