Time Management

Dear Future Self, It doesn’t seem possible, but take my word for it: all nighters catch up with you and destroy your brain. Ankle injuries you don’t take time to rehab will ache forever. And accepting the presidency of a club you care about is not...Read more

So, you think you can write The straight A’s I got in my high school English classes told me I was a good writer—I believed ‘em. That is, until I got to Stanford. Back when IHUM was required, students called it “B-HUM” for a reason. (Now we have...Read more

The most important skill I gained from my time as an undergrad was “hustle.” I don’t mean being able to speed-read (I learned that wasn’t really effective for me), or write a paper the night before it’s due. And I don’t mean pulling a con job or...Read more

Students ask all the time what to do with those half-hours or 20-minutes, or even hour-long slices of time that nestle between classes, meetings, meals, or other activities. Makes me think of food, but then again most things do. Most people believe...Read more

Plan one thing (not 6 things, not “a few” things) to accomplish, academically, for each day of the break. Get some sleep. Ask yourself: what was the best thing about this quarter? Then ask yourself: how can I make sure I get more of that? Start a...Read more

No matter what you’ve been doing since June – that crazy-ass road trip you took with your cousins, the rockin’ internship at Google, that community college Chem course, chowing down on home cooked meals and sleeping as much as you wanted – it’s all...Read more

In my book, procrastination does not entirely deserve its heinous reputation. True, procrastination is in many ways about avoidance, hesitance, even abject fear. But I say it’s also about problem-solving. Not your best problem-solving strategy, but...Read more

Your deadline is so close you can see the whites of its eyes. It’s squinting at you, urging you forward while you try and find a synonym for ‘interesting,’ your printer running out of ink and the last of your Red Bull trickling through your system...Read more

Let’s say your homework weighs 10 pounds — about as much as your average house cat. What does it take to lift her? Carry her? How tired would your arms be if you had to carry her around for an hour? Now let’s also say the dread of just doing your...Read more

When to review My sources* tell me that less than 8% of Stanford students review their notes within a day of taking them. And if you review your notes within a day of taking them, you will retain about 40% more than if you wait a week. Lets do some...Read more