You’re busy.
If you are still in college, you have projects, finals, and papers you need to work on at any given moment. You’re working hard to keep your academic standing because it’s important to you and part of your membership agreement with your sorority. You might even have a job on top of that, all while trying to maintain some semblance of a social life.
If you’ve finished college, you might have thought that the busyness of life would subside after graduation, but it doesn’t seem to. As you pursue your career, you might find yourself stretched just as thin as your college days. Whether you’ve entered the corporate world, pursued entrepreneurship, or focused on family at this time, your life is undoubtedly full.
So, how do you fit sorority involvement into your life?
Being a member of a sorority is a big commitment. You need to uphold your end of the bargain by putting in the work to stay an active member, so you don’t let your sisters down. But you also want sorority life to continue to be a fulfilling experience for you. You want to feel joy every time you see your Delta Sigma Theta jacket hanging in the closet, not dread.
We have five simple tips to help you make your sorority membership a priority in your already busy life. It’s not always going to be easy. But these should help make it easier.
- Plan, plan, plan. If you don’t have one already, go out and get yourself a planner right now. This is now your Bible. Everything you need to do should go into the planner. Scheduling will help you visualize how your time will be spent. Prioritize everything that you could spend your time on from most important to least important. That way, you’re not giving the majority of your time to things that don’t matter and vice versa.
-
Work on your time management. When you have things, you need to work on, the last thing you want to do is get sucked into TikTok videos. Figure out how to motivate yourself to manage your time. Here are three ideas of ways to better manage your time:
- Pomodoro Technique. This technique measures your time in “tomatoes” instead of minutes. You work for one “tomato” (25 minutes), then have a 5-minute break. After completing four tomatoes, you take a longer break. This helps keep you focused when you are working because you know that you will soon have a minute to let your mind wander.
- Eisenhower Matrix. Make a 2x2 matrix and label the quadrants: important, urgent, not important, not urgent. You can then visualize the way you need to tackle each task:
- Important and urgent: Do first.
- Important but not urgent: Defer these for later.
- Urgent but not important: Delegate these tasks to someone else.
- Not urgent and not important: Delete these tasks or save them for later.
- Apps. Can’t seem to break the addiction to your phone? There’s an app for that. Apps such as Forest, Freedom, or StayFocused can help you choose which addictive apps are available during which times. Find your favorite and let it help you break your bad habits.
- Create a schedule that supports your sorority lifestyle. You should have a good idea of what your Greek schedule will look like. Make sure the rest of your schedule fits around those commitments. Don’t schedule a trip when you know you have a banquet, and don’t schedule a doctor’s appointment when you should be at a chapter meeting. Let the other parts of your life fill in around your sorority schedule.
- Use technology. For seasons of life when you aren’t able to physically be present at everything, use technology to keep in touch with your sisters and your chapter. Touch base with them and stay up-to-date on the sorority.
- Communicate with your employer. Be transparent with your employer when you need to request time off for sorority responsibilities. Give them advance notice so they can be prepared for your absence instead of springing it on them at the last minute.
Bonus Tip: Set aside money for sorority expenses. Being a member of a sorority comes with its expenses. The easiest way to make those payments is to set money aside regularly for them instead of having large installments due at once. This will help you make sure that your sorority membership does not financially impede your life.
You can have a full and fulfilling life while maintaining your sorority membership; you will just need to plan for it and develop habits that will help you become the most productive version of yourself. The effort is well worth it!
Video
Infographic
Joining a sorority is a big commitment. You need to stay active and supportive while making sure it remains a fulfilling experience for you. Find five simple tips in this infographic to help you prioritize your sorority membership in your busy life.
