Student Blog: Productivity Amidst Chaos

There is a thin line between procrastination and productivity, between creativity and chaos. As I enter my sophomore year, second semester, I am walking that very fine line as I attempt to keep everything in my life in line, from classwork to social events, to having the time to catch up with my family and friends back home. For me, this has always been challenging, but as I become more and more confident in who I am and what my goals are, I have found it easier to stay motivated and avoid burnout. 

Over the years, although staying motivated and avoiding procrastination and boredom has always been difficult for me, as I have an unfortunate tendency to get busy and then procrastinate assignments until it’s very nearly too late, I have gradually come to realize that I do my best work under pressure. For me, it is far more difficult to complete a task with no time constraints than one with a strict timeline and schedule, and learning this about myself has helped me a lot on my educational path. 

One thing that everyone close to me knows about me is that if I am passionate about something, I will go to the ends of the earth to make it happen, but if there is a task I don’t want to complete, like a mundane reading for school, getting the motivation almost takes longer than the task itself. Something that has helped me recently gain motivation for tasks that may not always be the most interesting is looking at the bigger picture. As silly as it sounds, if I break down what an assignment or task is helping me to achieve, whether that be through thinking through it or even writing it out on paper, it helps me to realize that although that one reading or one essay seems boring at the time, it is just another factor contributing to helping me reach my goals. I love checklists, and last semester I started making one each week on paper, breaking down all my assignments by day. It was satisfying to watch my to-do list shrink, which helped me be the best student I could be. 

Alongside my classes, I always try to stay creative, which can be tough amid a seemingly endless list of assignments. One way I do this is by going outside and trying to explore somewhere new or have a new experience every single week. Whether this be something as simple as exploring a new city block, or even attending a new theatrical work, as many are quite accessible near Fordham’s campus in New York City, trying to prevent myself from getting bored helps me continue to think of new ideas for things that I might want to write, produce, or direct one day. I write down all my ideas and thoughts in my notes app. Although this seems messy to many, these ideas come in handy more than you might think!

As a creator and artist, I find it so important to seek joy in every opportunity. In times of procrastination and chaos, I always try to remind myself that I am so incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so much art in so many forms. Thinking of tasks as building blocks that help me towards my future is what helps me the most. Although I might not find joy in my hand-sewing exercises for my costume lab hours, I know that this is just helping broaden my theatrical strengths. As is true in any industry, but particularly in theatre and art, you never know when a random skill or lesson learned could come in handy!