As a busy adviser your time is especially valuable, so we’ve rounded up tips and resources just for you that only take 10 minutes or less
Picture This
We all need to stay connected, so chances are your phone is with you no matter where you go. That means you also have a pretty good digital camera attached. While you’re taking a 10-minute walk around your campus or community, stop to snap a few pictures. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to appreciate the small things, and capturing the things that catch your eye can be a great way to see something new in your everyday surroundings.
Take Care
The role of the adviser, while invaluable, can be taxing. One big way to lessen stress and keep yourself healthy is to wash your face at the end of every day. It can be a refreshing and relaxing habit that takes less than 10 minutes. Incorporate a moisturizer into the routine to seal in that relaxed feeling.
Count to 10
If you’re overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning your office or completing an everyday task, just use the power of 10. Choose 10 clothing items that you didn’t wear this spring to donate, choose 10 books from your shelf that you haven’t read and put them at the top of your summer reading list, or make a top-10 list of must-do weekend tasks or summer plans. This system can work for catching up on emails, too: Sort your inbox by flagged messages and respond to the oldest, 10 at a time.
Bonjour, Bienvenidos, Bongiorno!
Many of us encounter bilingual students and parents or English language learners in the course of our regular day. Language barriers can be a substantial challenge, and language skills don’t happen overnight. Spending 10 minutes a day with a service like Duolingo—a free online or app-based language-learning program—or sitting in on an introductory language class can be great ways to stay connected. Transfer those basic skills into your everyday life to stay fresh—keep vocab flashcards at your desk for a quick refresher, chat or email with foreign language teachers, and engage with students in their native languages as it is warranted and appropriate.