A day after our first Intensive week, the only image I could come up with to describe the past few days was that of a Circus Juggler, throwing 5 glass balls all at once, each as important and fragile as the other. One careless toss will lead the ball to fall and shatter with its distinct consequences. The question I asked myself was “How do I balance and manipulate the 5 key things in my life and remain sane?
A few of my friends and family members discouraged me from starting my MBA programme with Lagos Business School and pointed out how rigorous and time-consuming it would be. I felt it was a bit exaggerated but little did I know that the test awaited me. I calmed myself to see it as a storm, and the best way to face this was to persevere and be resilient. This reminded me of the proverb “Storms make trees take deeper roots”. In order to survive this whirlwind, I will need to dig deeper into my strengths; and be willing to learn and unlearn to create space for new ideas and perspectives to emerge.
To begin with, I started to eliminate time wasters in my life. I realized there were some activities I engaged in that were unnecessary and did not produce any benefit or time value for money. The first step was to monitor my screen time on social media, productivity, and entertainment. I checked my phone every day to see the activities I spent the most hours on, and with a resolution to make it up the next day if it was not spent on useful things. Before making any decision I ask myself the 5 questions – what, why, how, when, and where. This was greatly influenced by Dr. Anibaba’s course – Analysis of Business Problems.
Furthermore, I practised deep breaths on days I felt overwhelmed and practised yoga. Various studies have shown that these two activities tend to slow down the heartbeat, lower and stabilize blood pressure and lower stress levels. With these few mindful steps, I felt energized knowing that I could not pour from an empty cup. Planning my time became a lot easier after eradicating less valuable activities. I now start my day at work with a to-do list starting from the most difficult task to the least. I finish my daily tasks by 2pm and tidy a few things out to clear my desk. I have also made a conscious effort to prioritize my family knowing that aspect should not suffer as well.
In the quest for knowledge, I carefully reminded myself to enjoy the adventure, cherish the good memories, strengthen the connections, support one another, have fun and avoid unhealthy competition at the same time prioritize learning new things and applying them to my daily life. As we come to the end of the first semester, I intend to indulge myself in self-care knowing I have put in my best and pamper myself to a spa and look forward to the second semester.
