It might be the most cliché way to try to regain focus, but it is time to practice “Obvious October.” Winter is coming, try to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night, try to get homework assignments done early. That kind of obvious stuff. 

This is the best advice I could give for the remaining 16 days of the 10th month of the year. Start each day with the most important or obvious activities on your list. You cannot move on to the remainder of your day until those activities are done. This will force you to complete the most substantial items of your day first, increasing the chances for a productive day and decreasing the chance of being overwhelmed. 

So, it might be worth it to start the day slower and get to your workspace first. Write out the three emails that you have been putting off. Write out notes before your class to understand the material better. Make time to sit down and just have creative time. The obvious things we want to do but for some reason we do not block off time for. 

This falls under the strategies of Gary Keller’s 2013 book, “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results.” In the book, Keller goes through his strategies to focus on one thing at a time by blocking off certain sets of time throughout the day. This leads to focusing on the one thing that is most important to your day. 

As Editor-in-Chief, I have tried to put Keller’s practices to work by planning out my days in blocks of time to focus on a single activity. I go to bed the night before and ask myself as I am lying in the darkness, ‘What is the one thing that needs to be done tomorrow?’ This has led to me being more focused on the crucial tasks. I would suggest doing the same for the remaining days of October to see how you like it. 

I will admit that I listen to my horoscope every day to begin my day. Wow, that was a lot for me to fess up to but I will continue the thought. Any good horoscope podcast will transition to talking about the relationships around you eventually. I want to do the same for this column. At this time, think about your relationships and how you could apply them to “Obvious October.”

When we get stressed, we all fall short in our friendships. I am guilty when it comes to this. I can think of so many times in college that I have had to avoid friends just because I was behind on assignments or felt that I needed to shut myself out from them until things were easier. There is a fine line between this being justified and this coming off as selfish. 

So, think of the one friend who you have been distant from and try to reach out to them. Try to make simple plans over the next two weeks with them. This could mean going to the Oswego Sub Shop during a two-hour gap between classes with them. Or just shoot them a text that they are doing a great job with whatever they are focusing on. 

Winter is coming, that is the most obvious statement of the moment in Oswego. It is the season that follows fall. That is science, fact and simple to understand. Treat yourself the same way the next two weeks. Simplify all things and focus on what is the most obvious task until Halloween.