It is that stressful time of the semester for SUNY Oswego students as finals approach and for a select few, the December 2021 graduates, a transition into the “real world” is looming. There is no way around it at times it seems, but there are strategies to fight against it.
The best strategy I have found during my now seven semesters at SUNY Oswego is to find a spot both mentally and physically where you can “hide” from others. Put your phone on silent, grab your laptop and find the best spot possible to complete large chunks of work for a couple hours.
The spot for me throughout the years has changed, the first two years of college here it was the observatory lounge of Shineman. The spot provided a great view of the lake and the freshmen walking on Lakeside of campus were entertaining to watch from up above. You could always tell when someone was late for class. The spot had limited foot traffic and had desks to do work at. I would be my most productive by spending two or three hours a day up there when my course load got heavy.
A spot like this is available all throughout campus, the lounges in the dorm hall are a great spot to do work in throughout the evening. The only issue is beating other students to the spot. So, it might be more worthwhile to reserve a quiet space in the library or find a quiet corner in one of the academic buildings like I used to.
As I have gotten older, my spot has become the office at The Oswegonian, especially this year. During the day the staff is not usually in the office so it provides me with a spot to refocus and dive into work. Not every student has a spot like this though, but close comparisons exist. Computer labs are scattered throughout campus and usually have a set of hours to allow students to work on the computers as long as classes are not taking place.
The whole point of this is not to prove that computer labs or the fifth floor of a building are the best spots to do work. Many have other spots that are completely different from those. The point is to get yourself out of your apartment or dorm room and force yourself to sit down and do work.
When you are in your college home, there are a certain set of distractions that can get in the way of doing your work. The television is tempting to turn on and the next thing you know, four hours have passed. I have run into that recently with just how binge-worthy the Apple TV show The Morning Show is. I will sit down to do work on my apartment couch and suddenly I am tempted to watch the show.
The way to overcome this is to force yourself to go to a spot away from your home. This is important because it allows home to be a much more relaxing place. There is no association between where you relax and socialize with roommates and the stressful workload you have. Over the next few weeks, try to find the spot where you can shut out the world. Nobody needs you for those few hours. If they do, they will call you. Do not be paranoid about that.
