Cope with short-term stressful time
The past two months had been a rebirth experience. I opted in two summer classes at Harvard Extension School plus a full-time job, well known the fact that it would have taken 110% of my time. As much as it was suffering during the process, it turned out to be a wonderful learning experience - not only of learning RStudio, statistics, Corporate Finance theory, and finishing quarterly forecast, but also of training time management, focus, and persistence. It also made me faster, stronger, and psychologically more mature. Now that it has been three weeks after the final exams and onto the new semester, I think it is time to retrospect, summarize, and share some advises for those who need a bit encouragement.
Make a well-informed the decision and set the right expectation.
Before going into the monster two-month period, I have gone through the thought-process, looked at things at hand and expected to have, and concluded it would still be manageable despite of being tough. Routine reports at work has been as automated as possible, and the intellectual-man-hour-needed-to-check part could be done by extended work hours after normal business times. Tuesday and Thursday morning as well as after-hours would be dedicated to live lectures and study, and the rest would be reserved for work-related projects and managerial requests. One weekend would be also needed for attending sections and reviewing questions with TA, while the other one would be short relaxation if no extra requests from work. Picture the period and set the right expectation is extremely important, before committing to demanding tasks.
Book the time in calendar and compartmentalize the clock
This is by far the most helpful strategy for me to improve efficiency and productivity. Given so many things to do within 24-hour window, it is very common for people to stress over the idea rather than actually get going. Before starting off the period, mark the time in your calendar and write down generally.
Pomodoro Technique (Tomato Time Management)
I like to have at least one-hour block to concentrate. 25 minute is normally too short for me to focus on one project/assignment. My preferred block is usually 1-2 hours, the right amount of time for myself to finish the line of thought before getting fatigue.
Even if things go off the road a bit, keep pushing and believe in yourself.
The initial expectation is that the Statistics class would be the “easier” one given my background in Econometrics back in college, while the other class Corporate Finance would demand a bit more push. On the contrary, not to understate the efforts I put in Corporate Finance, Statistics with Harvard is by far the most intense class I’ve ever taken during the summer session. Theories move fast, with very hands-on problem sets using RStudio training not only for theoretical understanding but also mastering the needed coding languages to process dataset. Even though I had through through the process, reality would never match the granular details, which is OK. Nevertheless, the question to ask is “does the bigger picture change? Is the amount of work beyond expectations too much to break my neck?” As long as the answer is no, we keep pushing and reaching the goal.
Push harder, but don’t break your neck.
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When you feel like giving up, positive implication works.
Give yourself a small private pep talk in the morning. Looking into the mirror and give yourself a big brave smile to start the day. What always works for me is to tell myself that “if I cannot do it, no one else can.” Keep it short as an energy shot and constantly repeat it when you need it. Even though such statement is definitely exaggerated when I am rational, the positive energy is exactly what I needed to hear to keep going. Yes it sounds cheesy, but it works. Be confident to knock off that obstacle on the road. You are the dragon which makes the fire.
Give yourself and others positivity, but also be genuine if you are feeling down. Whatever obstacle it is, own the issue, treat it as an interesting challenge, and focus on the solution. Don’t let the negativity drag you down than necessary.
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Look around and appreciate those who have explicitly and/or implicitly supported you.
When finishing class at 10 o’clock and my love already prepared the warm food on the table, I was super appreciative of his support and felt extra powerful to get through the stressful time. When TAs answered my question carefully and thoroughly, the supportive community reminded me that I was not alone. When my parents called to ask “how’s going,” their loves also comforted me and propelled me to go further. There are so many people and community to provide supports, don’t live yourself up to an island. You are alone, but you are never alone.
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