Q.
Balance is tough when you are an RA. Balancing RA responsibilities
and school can be tough enough, but when you throw other
things into the mix, as many of us do, it makes it even
harder. What are some suggestions you have for
helping RAs stay balanced?
A.
Get involved in a campus or community organization,
club, or activity that meets weekly and is just for
fun. that way, you have at least an hour scheduled just
for yourself each week...and keep in touch with your
old friends and do things with them.
UC Davis
A.
The most important suggestion for helping an RA to stay
balanced is good time management. As an RA you need
to prioritize your activities. I know that with
most housing departments they always say that academic
obligations come first and the RA job comes second.
However, this does not mean that an RA can't have other
outside activities. It is important for an RA to have
good time management skills to balance school, being
an RA, and any other activities that an RA might be
involved in. A good way to develope skills in time management
is to purchase a daily planner that breaks down each
day into hours. This will allow you to list all of your
activities for that particular day (i.e. classes, meetings,
talking with residents, personal time, exercise, etc.).
Most people find that if they plan their day they work
more efficiently. The most important benefit of good
time management is stress reduction. Again, time management
is the key to maintaining balance.
Eric Honeycutt - North Carolina State
University
A.
I think that, especially for first year RAs, it's
important to take it a bit easy your first semester.
I mean, being an RA is a 24/7 job, and it's hard to
merge a whole bunch of other stuff in with classes,
duty and desk. Additionally, I think that it's important
to know your priorities, and keep them VERY clear--but
also know how to be flexible. Things pop up that need
attention, and being able to bend helps a lot. Plus,
it's crucial to know when you need "Me Time"
and that if you're in a really bad mood, it's not
a crime to shut your door for a few minutes and destress.
Amber Benoit - Colorado State University
A.
Create prioritized lit, keeping yourself as a top
priority. If your needs aren't met, you can't meet
your academic or co-curricular needs either.
Michael
Wilde - Concordia College
A.
Organize, organize, organize. I try to color code
everything I have to do. One color is all the
school things that need to be done. One color
represents staff meetings, duties, programs, etc.
and the last color represents my thrid life
of being a sorority woman.
Leigh
Ann Lorusso - University of Wisconsin at Whitewater
A.
KEEP A PLANNER! I hated planners, and never started
using one until I became an RA. Now I get everything
done, and still find enough time in the day to sleep!!!
It amazes me!
Jennifer
Anderson - Southern Methodist University
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