Contrary to Popular Belief, Crazy-Busy is Not Normal

It’s the week before the big holidays – it’s break time. Do you feel like you want to pull your hair out from the stress? Are students marching into your offices, freaking out while waiting for news from their first-choice colleges? What about the students who are still writing their essays? Or the ones who are adding college to their lists?

Yeah, it’s enough to stress you out. It does not need to be so stressful.

Last year, I spent the last week of December coaching a scholar-athlete as he wrote essays for eight schools while on an African safari with his family. He had been rejected by a super-selective university that had given him a verbal commitment, and he didn’t have a backup plan. (All’s well that ends well: He is now on the crew team at an Ivy.)
 
And while Susan wasn’t texting and exchanging Google docs with a boy on another continent like I was, she did suddenly find herself working with a few students who decided at the last minute to apply to several schools after being told no by their first-choice colleges.
 
We were both pretty busy. But we plan for that. You can plan for that, too.
 
We got through it all with relative ease because we follow a tried-and-true process that works. Every time.
 
We don’t let our students’ emergencies become ours, especially in December. You shouldn’t, either. Contrary to popular belief, crazy-busy is not normal.

If you know us, you know we like to give away free stuff to help you guide your students. We give away free books for you to share with your students and families. And we give free stuff to you, so you can plan for just about anything, and take control of your essay coaching practice. 
 
We’ve got more free stuff as we move the Class of 2020 across the finish line; it’s a good time to consider which aspects of your counseling practice work well and where you could improve.

  • Is your essay process smooth?
  • Are you putting out too many fires?
  • Relying on random resources?
  • Custom solving every problem that comes up?

It doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s our next FREE offer to help you start the year:
 
If you’d like to feel more in control next season, I encourage you to join us on Wednesday, January 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern, for some insight into how we stay so calm, even when big deadlines approach and parents stress out and students can’t figure out what to write.

We’ll be introducing an exciting new program for professionals – The College Essay Experience, and we’ll be doing some writing, too.

Want to learn more? Join Our Free Monthly Pro Chats

Every month, we host a free professional chat (it’s a short, 30-minute webinar!) for counselors and other professionals. She talks about timely matters and answers pressing questions.

If you can’t make it, don’t worry. Just sign up, and we’ll send you a recording. Register here.

About the Author

Kim Lifton is President of Wow Writing Workshop, a strategic communication company staffed by experts who understand the writing process inside and out. Since 2009, Wow has been leading the industry with our unique approach to communicating any message effectively. The Wow Method helps business and nonprofit leaders create better blogs, manage social media, develop websites and create other communication materials. It also helps students write college application essays, grad school personal statements and resumes that get results. If it involves words, Wow can help.