Zuzana Boháčová: "In the long run, if we only go about our tasks and duties, we will fail in the long run."
This time we will talk with Zuzana Boháčová, a psychologist and teacher at our university. Zuzana has been working at the university for 16 years, i.e. since its foundation. Originally she taught strategic marketing and now she is fully dedicated to the mental health care of our students. You can meet her in her role as a Student Advisor, a member of the Student Affairs Council, and also teaching a course on Time and Stress Management or Introduction to Studies.
Hi, in today's podcast we'll be talking with psychologist and Unicorn University educator Zuzana Boháčová. Zuzana has been at the school for 16 years, since its inception, and originally taught strategic marketing. She is now dedicated to the mental health care of our students. You can meet her in her role as a student advisor, a member of the Student Affairs Council, and also teaching a course on Time and Stress Management or Introduction to Studies.
Zuzana, thank you for accepting our podcast invitation.
I'd love to. Thank you.
What subjects do you teach at the school and what other position do you hold?
It was mentioned a lot in the introduction, students can meet me either in my role as a teacher, when I teach Introduction to Studies, where I really get to meet all the students. It's kind of an introductory class that introduces students to the school, how it works, so they know what to prepare for and how to manage their studies. I'm also the supervisor of the elective course Time and Stress Management. And if we look at my other role, which is a counsellor for students, where I'm like a school psychologist and students can come to me if they're dealing with an unpleasant life situation or they don't know how to manage their studies or maybe they have a disability in the form of different specific learning disabilities like dysgraphia, dyscalculia or even autism spectrum disorders. I help them to set up a course of study so that they can cope.
What made you do all this?
It was originally a coincidence 16 years ago when I worked for Komerční banka as a marketing specialist, so I started here at the school as a marketing specialist and I led various workshops and then I ended up teaching and being the supervisor of the Strategic Marketing course. Gradually, my whole career has tipped more towards mental health and now I'm fully working as a psychologist and trying to set the conditions so that it's fun for the students, so that it's beneficial, safe, meaningful and understandable.
And what do you enjoy most about this area?
I enjoy the interaction. At my school, I feel like there is such a partnership atmosphere. The approach is more or less individual. We try to support our students, to understand them and it's really about connecting with that particular student. I take it that we're not the supreme authority here, but it's a 'partnering' approach where even if I'm teaching or I'm in the role of a student advisor or a member of the Student Affairs Council, it's mainly that we inspire each other. It's not that I'm the authority and there's a student here, it's that I'm learning a lot and we're enriching each other.
I was very interested in the topic of time and stress management. Why is it so important, not only for university students?
It's related. Today's time is very demanding and there are a lot of demands placed on us, which we sometimes create even on ourselves. Often when we don't manage to combine work with personal time, that's one of the main stressors we have nowadays. And..
Go ahead but I wonder what are the most common mistakes when you talk about time? How do you manage it better and what would you recommend for stress management strategies?
With time, I can think of the basic rule of thumb is to keep a clear head. That means to have all tasks and responsibilities written down somewhere so that we don't have to keep thinking about what we have to do, what we promised where, what all tasks we have to do, plus keeping track of deadlines and so on. So having a clear head is rule number one. The second rule is to be guided by priorities, because as there is a lot of stuff today and we don't know where to jump first, it's good to have tasks prioritized and know what is the most important thing right now, and at the same time not to deal with those immediate "burners" and look at it from a long-term perspective. Maybe just so we can finish school overall. It's also important that we can relax, so that it's not just about work or studying, but that we can recharge our batteries. If we don't charge our phone, it won't work the next day either, and that's the same with us. If we only go about our tasks and duties in the long run, we will prospectively fail. Rest has to be there, so working with energy as well, being able to compose our time from duties but also from rest.
Do you know any tools or techniques to better organize your time?
I can think of a lovely tool called GTD - Getting Things Done[1] which has tips on how to record tasks with a level of detail, deadlines and specific steps. For priorities, the Eisenhower model[2] is a good one, where we can record the importance and tip of a task (long term, short term) in quadrants. And within the energy, we can categorize activities according to whether they replenish or take away energy. In the morning we should start with what kicks us up and refreshes us. For example, a morning ritual - having a coffee and not rushing anywhere, not opening social networks and just giving yourself some quiet time. And then take advantage of the morning, when we usually have the most energy, and give ourselves the most challenging tasks. Then have a rewarding lunch with friends, relax and regenerate. By late afternoon, we can just keep the routine tasks, where we don't have to think too much. In the evening, end the day with a meeting with friends or a sport where we rest, and then just sleep and regenerate overnight.
1. Collecting: Gathering all tasks, thoughts, commitments and ideas into one place called the "inbox". This can be a physical basket, a digital list, or another system.
2. Processing: Going through all the items in the "inbox" and deciding what to do with them. Each task is analyzed according to whether it is feasible and what the next step is.
3. Organizing: Tasks are divided into appropriate categories and lists according to their type and priority. These include lists such as "important projects", "pending", "to be acted upon", or "sometimes/maybe".
4. Reflection: Regular review and revision of lists and calendars, usually weekly. The goal is to keep track of all tasks and ensure that nothing is left behind.
5. Execution: Selecting tasks from lists and completing them according to current priority, context and available time.
The GTD method helps to increase productivity, reduce stress and improve ability to concentrate. The key aspect is that each task is clearly defined and placed in the system, which allows you to focus on execution instead of constantly thinking about what needs to be done.
How can students find a balance between academic life and personal time?
As I mentioned earlier, it is very important to learn how to combine the demands of school with free time. I know that often our students are already working while they are studying, sometimes they have their own business or are employed somewhere, so learning to balance all of that with personal time is the key. They should never forget that we have multiple roles in life. We are not only students, employees or entrepreneurs, but we are also part of our family, we have friends and we should think about ourselves as well. So in the long run it's work-life balance, but in our case it's more of a study-life-balance.
How can we tell when stress is too high and when we should seek help?
It's very individual. Stress manifests itself on many levels. Mentally, for example, we are nervous, obnoxious, distracted and have difficulty concentrating. Sometimes it can go to the physical level and that's the next level. We have headaches, we have trouble sleeping, we may have back pain or digestive problems. Then there's the last level and that's social relationships. We often disconnect from our social contacts, we feel like we have to get everything done and we withdraw completely. And that's bad too, when we don't have anyone to share it with, we don't have support. And just to answer the question, how do you know? As soon as I start to perceive that something is not right on one of these three levels, I don't feel at ease, I think it's time to start doing something about it or to ask for help, whether it's a professional or just sharing it with my friends. Very often we find that we're quite similar and even that can be very helpful in terms of maybe giving each other some tips, tricks, how somebody's working through it or just supporting each other and that can be very helpful as well.
So this is the point where students can come to you? Because you're also the guidance counselor at the school.
I'm sure.
[2] Eisenhower's prioritization principle, also known as the Eisenhower matrix or Eisenhower box, is a time and priority management tool that helps individuals and organizations make more effective decisions about which tasks need to be done and in what order. The principle was named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, who was known for his outstanding ability to manage his time and tasks effectively.
The Eisenhower matrix is divided into four quadrants based on two criteria: importance and urgency.
- Quadrant I: Important and urgent (crisis tasks)
Tasks that need to be solved immediately because they are high impact and time critical.
For example: crisis situations, urgent problems, deadline-driven projects. - Quadrant II: Important but not urgent (strategic tasks)
Tasks that are of high importance but not time-critical.
For example: planning, personal development, relationship building, problem prevention. - Quadrant III: Urgent but not important (distracting tasks)
Tasks that require immediate attention but do not have a large impact on long-term goals.
For example: interruptions, some phone calls or emails, most meetings. - Quadrant IV: Not urgent and not important (time wasters)
Tasks that are of low importance and not time critical.
For example: unnecessary activities, procrastination, most social media.
Using the Eisenhower matrix helps people focus on the tasks that are really important and minimize time spent on less important activities. The goal is to spend as much time as possible in Quadrant II, which leads to long-term success and crisis prevention.
What problems can students come to you with? And how can they contact you?
Students can contact me directly or they can reach me through the student affairs department. What happens is that they can't cope with the demands or they don't know how to handle the pressure that is put on them, and they often turn to me saying that it's just too much, that they don't know how to cope. So then together we try to find a way to balance everything and find that balance between studying and all the other responsibilities. Very often we deal with different specific learning disabilities and set up adjustments in conditions and changes in approach with the students. This means that we are able to set them more time for exams or for testing, because if someone has dysgraphia or various other learning disabilities, they really need more time to orientate themselves in a test, for example, to be able to think of the right answer. I then communicate with the teachers, so we fine-tune it further with them so that the conditions are really suitable for them, but at the same time that they don't somehow make it easier for them to study at the expense of other students, so that it's still fair, so that the demands are more or less the same, but tailored to them.
Can you reveal any other procedures or powers you have?
It's all about finding a solution, getting support, helping to find a way with the teachers..that's probably the main thing I would say.
Can you give us examples of books, apps or websites if we want to improve our time and stress management skills or what do you draw inspiration from
It seems to me that there is a lot of material available today. It depends on who and what they are dealing with. Someone is dealing more with stress, someone with time management, someone with anxiety, depression and so on. I would definitely recommend looking for some podcasts, like we're talking right now. There are a lot of resources, but I wanted to mention one particular app here that I think is very handy and helpful, and that's the Don't Panic app. Mainly because I often encounter anxiety with students where it's challenging for them to go into a school building, it's a foreign environment, there's a lot of people, they don't know what's going to be expected of them and so on. The Nepanikar app is very good because there is a guide on how to manage, for example, panic attacks, anxiety in general, there are specific exercises on how to work with the breath, different relaxation games. For example, when you're on the bus and normally you would be experiencing a lot of anxiety, sometimes even a panic attack, it will guide you to focus your attention on the game and it doesn't even occur to you that you've been on public transport and up until then it was an insurmountable problem. So definitely for me it's the Don't Panic app, where there are possibly contacts for experts and lots of practical advice.
Our podcast is coming to a close and I'd still like to ask, what would you recommend to new students who are just starting their university journey?
I feel that university is a turning point for students, that suddenly everything is different. In high school everything was planned out and students were more guided and suddenly they are thrown into a world where they have to plan everything themselves and the responsibility is very much on them, so it's a big challenge. In my experience, it's nice when they don't have to take on that challenge alone. And that's what I would like to recommend to them, that from the first day that they step on campus, that they're not on their own, that they're able to ask for help, whether it's from one of the teachers or from the study department, and that they take advantage of maybe an adaptation course where they can meet their classmates, they can network, and they can also get support and find out that they're not on their own. I find it really good to connect with the senior students as well, so they know what they're getting into, what to expect, where to get materials, handouts, and what to focus on. They can find out what is an easier subject, where they don't have to grind so hard and where they have to work hard to make sure they don't miss it from the beginning. So somehow infiltrate the social environment at school, communicate a lot, not be on your own and ask for help when you need it. I think that's the most important thing, and if they get that under their belt, they'll go through university in a way that they might even remember it fondly. That's what we all want here.
Our guest today was Zuzana Boháčová, psychologist and teacher at Unicorn University. We are glad you are watching our podcast, we look forward to the next time.
And thank you for having me.
