This is
always a hot-stove topic for every student. How to find a balance between work,
study and social life? Once, my friend had been telling me a conversation
between his advisor and him.
His
professor said, "Kids, you asked me how I balanced my life in
University? Let's me get this straight, there is NO balance at all. You need to
work on it, you need to work hard in order to find a balance later on in your
life."
I think
that statement above, somehow, speaks the truth. It is hard to balance your life,
yet possible. Let's read this story.
There once was
a professor of philosophy, who in front of his Class, took a large empty pot of
jam and without saying a word, began to fill it with golf balls.
Then he asked his students if the jar was full. The Students replied: YES.
The professor then took a box full of marbles and poured the marbles into the
pot of jam. The marbles filled the gaps in between the Golf balls. The
Professor asked the students again if the jar was full. Again, they replied:
YES .
At that point, the professor took a bag of sand and poured it into the pot of
jam. Of course, the sand filled all the remaining gaps and the professor asked
again if the jar was full. The Students unanimously answered: YES.
The professor then added two cups of coffee to the contents of the jar thus
filling the small gaps between the grains of sand. The students started
laughing. After they stopped, the professor said: "I want you to realize
that the pot of jam represents Life.
The golf balls are the very important things in Life such as family, children,
health, everything you are passionate about. Our lives would still be full even
if we'd lost everything else and these were the only things that remained.
The marbles are the other things that count in our lives such as work, house,
car, etc ...
The sand represents everything else, all the small things in life.
If we had first poured sand into the pot of jam, there wouldn't have been any
room left for anything else such as the marbles or the golf balls.
It's the same thing in Life. If we put all our energy and all our time into the
small things, we will never have any time/space left for the things that really
matter.
Pay attention to the things that are really important to your happiness. Play
with your children, take time to go to the doctor, have dinner with your
spouse/partner, exercise or take time to enjoy your favorite pass-times.
There will always be time to do the cleaning and fix the taps on the kitchen
sink ...
Take care of the golf balls first, of the things that really matter. Choose
your priorities, the rest is just sand."
One of the students then raised a hand and asked what the coffee meant.
The professor smiled and said: "It's good that you ask. I only added
coffee to show that although your lives may seem full and busy, there is always
room for a cup of coffee with a friend. Good day to all ..."
~ Author Unknown ~
After
reading the story, you tell me how you will balance your YorkU life? It is
entirely up to you, how to maintain your time effectively. My tip is something
as simple as:
(1) Planning - get yourself a calendar, and write it down.
(2) Setting
goal – meaning that every task has its time limitation.
(3) Get
started - "If you don't know where you are going, you
will probably end up somehwere else." ~Lawrence J. Peter (great
way to get bumped and avoid procrastination)
(4) Multi-tasking - just another way to help you rearch your goals early (if
you can).
(5) Sleep - do appreciate the hard work of your body, give it a break.
(6) Chill
time - and don't forget your hard working mind. Time to relax
your mind and your body is always a nice refreshment.
To be
honest, I have no real balance format because I think You Only Live One, so I
give everything a best shoot. And that is my balance in YorkU life.
Good luck
on finding your balance! :)
