Chapter One Definitions 1.Whim: Sudden desire to do something 2.Worthwhile: Having real meaning 3.Priorities: Most important activities or goals 4.Manage: To control a situation 5.Planner: A tool to help you manage time and achieve a goal 6.Balance: Creating a life that includes a range of activities; a well rounded life

Using Your Planner Starting this week, you will be expected to use your planner on a regular basis.

3 Steps to Organization Step 1: Create a master schedule Write all important events and commitments for the next 6 months as well as phone numbers and addresses of important people. (this should already be done) Step 2: Plan Weekly Decide on a time each week ( Sunday afternoon for example) to plan for the next week. List what you need to accomplish for the week: tests, clubs, work etc. When you have finished, look over the week to see how much time you have left over for other activities such as hanging with friends, watching TV etc. Step 3: Plan Daily (I will be looking in your planner to see that you have done this) List all the things you need to do for the day in order of importance. Keep your list short and try to complete all the tasks each day. Don`t panic if you don`t accomplish everything. Feel good about what you do accomplish and strive to do better each day.

Finding Balance in Your Life (pg. 10) Achieving balance between school, homework, jobs, sleep, meals, friends, family and personal activities requires planning. True happiness comes when our lives are balanced. Changes in our lives such as moving, going to a new school, illness, loosing or gaining friends /family members etc. Can throw our lives out of balance. Balance does not mean that all aspects of your life receive equal amounts of time. Balance means finding the right mix, but also being aware that things constantly change and you need to adapt to these changes to keep you balance.

Balance is Personal Developing a balanced life is something you must strive to do on your own. What you need to do to achieve balance will be different from that of your friends and family. Look at the example of a Personal Balance Wheel on pg. 13, then try to fill in one of your own. Are there things in your life that you need to spend more or less time on? Be prepared to discuss your answers with a partner.

Simone’s Personal Balance Wheel

Dealing with Overload Procrastination (leaving things to the last minute) robs from your quality of life, prevents people from receiving the full you and can also lead to a host of illnesses down the road in life. When our lives get too hectic we may experience overload.

What Causes Overload? Helping friends deal with there problems When we let other friends make plans for us Too much School work Studying for test Problems with friends Sports/tournaments Getting in trouble with parents Not getting enough sleep at night Picking out an outfit After school programs babysitting Chores Family\brothers and sisters Boyfriends\girlfriends Not thinking before you talk Being bullied\name calling Moving to a new school or even going to a new home Family deaths\friends deaths\animal deaths Health problems Being a boyfriend or girlfriend

How Do You Know You Are Overloaded? Bags under your eyes You cry for no reason Irritable / cranky You don’t perform to the best for your abilities Over eating / under eating / developing eating disorders Drug / alcohol abuse You can loose your hair / turn gray You can’t think straight / make poor decisions You want to be alone People are always asking you what’s wrong Lazy Hit things or get violent Cutting / self abuse Road rage Swearing / bag language Physical appearance – get wrinkles, look sad, look on their face, walk slower

On your own: Look at the list of causes we came up with as a class and list as many strategies as you can to avoid being overloaded. You must have at least 5 strategies written before you can move on to the next step. [the next step is worth points] Example: If the cause of stress (stressor) is not being tired enough to go to bed early, the strategy could be doing some kind of physical activity before bed to tire you out. Stressor: I’m tired in the morning but when I go to bed early I can’t fall asleep. Strategy: Every night before I go to bed I sprint around the yard or up and down my stairs to tire myself out.

In groups of two:  Discuss the commonalities of your ten strategies. Do you both have tips for saving time, building muscle, loosing weight, relaxing, doing homework etc.?  Choose six (three each) that you feel would be most helpful to share with others. Bring this list to Miss Dean for approval. [10pts]  Once your list is approved, it will eventually be part of a display on the wall in the hallway titled “Tips for a Stress Free Lifestyle- For Students, By Students”

 Each stressor and strategy to overcome it will be typed (24 font) or neatly handwritten on the top half of a sheet of paper (Provided). The bottom half will be a drawing, photograph, clip art etc. that follows the theme of your stressor. For example: a bed, moon and stars for tips for getting more sleep.  Be sure that your final product is creative, colorful, inviting and easy to read and understand. You must include both names on the bottom right hand corner of your page. This project will be viewed by everyone in the school so do your absolute best. [20pts]