Students at CSUN find effective time, stress and money management strategies through exercise and finance apps.
Taylor Clayton finds that senior year means no time for procrastination. He does his assignments as soon as possible and tries not to wait before starting them.
When it comes to preparing for future stress, he says getting rid of other obligations is the key to success. Not only is this a form of stress reduction, but he says it also helps him with time management.
Exercising has become an outlet for managing Clayton’s stress levels.
“Putting things off until last minute can pretty much be the source of all stress,” Clayton said. “Exercising for me helps to relieve my stress and it gets those positive endorphins pumping.”
Clayton is an avid user of the Wells Fargo app in order to manage his finances. He says this allows him to budget more effectively and try to spend as little as possible.
“I buy used books and I go grocery shopping often so that I don’t have to go eat out a lot,” Clayton said.
Jacqueline Anderson said yoga relieves her stress during the school year. However, she said she feels no stress prior to the upcoming school year.
“I just try to plan out my coursework so that I can stay on top of it for as long as school is in session so I can avoid being stressed out,” Anderson said.
As far as money management, Anderson said she tries to pack lunches as much as possible instead of dining out. She said her main asset for managing her time is to have a planner for her coursework.
“I use an agenda to schedule out my homework and see how much time each assignment will take,” Anderson said.
Nancy Amezquita, a student at California State University, Sacramento, has a different take on reducing stress before the semester starts.
“I attempt to relieve my stress by indulging in my favorite desserts and pray it doesn’t make me fat. I like to cuddle with my dogs and binge watch a comedy show,” Amezquita said. “I also find that complaining or venting to friends, and family helps me put things into perspective and reminds me that there is a purpose behind all the stress and worry that comes with higher education.”
When it comes to time management, Amezquita said she prioritizes. To her, school always comes first.
The “Mint” app helps keep Amezquita’s finances in order.
“There’s a great eye opening, yet shaming budget app called Mint, it tracks the spending on your bank accounts and organizes it into pie charts and percentages to show you where your money is being spent,” she said. “I once spent $250 on coffee shops and restaurants in one month and I didn’t even realize it until Mint sent me a monthly overview of my spending through email.”
