Today's video was made by the students of the Faculty of Economics of the Volgograd Institute of Management –branch of the RANEPA: Victoria Uzhanova, Vlad Starodymova and Georgy Ryzhkov. The result can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/fb_9yJ0yCrE

What inspired you to unite into a team and take part in the project?

Victoria Uzhanova:

"We are very good friends, so we decided to participate it in together. Although we are close in everyday life, we never competed together before. We felt enthusiastic to try."

How did you decide on the distribution of topics between the team members?

Victoria Uzhanova:

"We have distributed the topics this way, because for Georgy, at this stage of his life, studies are what matters most. He is very hard-working but sometimes even he has to face difficulties, like many students. Having lived through such an experience, he decided to share the pieces of advice that he himself had followed successfully. Vlada is a very emotional girl who values her family above anything else. She always cares most about her family and friends. Therefore, for her, the most important thing in life is her family's well-being. I have had several part time jobs through my life and always managed to combine them with my studies. I would like to help the other avoid the mistakes they might make in similar circumstances. After all, I, like many of us, know how difficult it is to maintain your life balance.

Vlada, in your speech, you have stressed the importance of always sparing some time for communication with your family and friends. What does "communication" mean to you personally, and did you feel its lack or its transformation during the pandemic and the consequent lockdown?

Vlada Starodymova:

"To me, communication is, first of all, a face-to-face thing: walking together, going to cinema, cafes, museums... The lockdown was a very hard time for me. Since I live alone, at the peak of the pandemic I did not see my friends and family for a long time. At first, it felt very lonely. However, in the age of modern technologies, this problem is completely solvable. It was during the pandemic that video call services gained a huge popularity and increased in quality. It took me a little effort to teach my parents how to use these services, but soon they did it, and we started chatting for days on end. With my friends, I communicated in the same way. Thus, I managed to successfully cope with the lack of communication during the lockdown.

Georgy, you emphasized how important it is to give yourself and your brain a break so that it has the time to assimilate all the information received earlier. But now information is coming from literally everywhere, and scientists are even talking about information overload. How can we possibly relax in such a situation?

Georgy Ryzhkov:

"It seems to me that what people really need sometimes is an Internet detox. It can even be done regularly. For example, on weekends, you can get off social networks and spend your time with friends and family. But in the age of new technologies, this can be difficult. I can offer an alternative – to download an application that monitors the time you spend online. You can manually choose the amount of time you're willing to spend on social media, and the app will send you a reminder when this time is over."

Victoria, you have recommended those who study and work at the same time to sensibly assess their capability and abandon work if it obviously makes their studies too difficult. What piece of advice would you give to those for whom a part-time work is not a personal choice, but a necessity?

Victoria Uzhanova:

"To those who have to work and provide for themselves, I would recommend trying to switch from office work to remote work. It can save students a lot of time and effort, because all the tasks will be right at hand. Today, this method of working is gaining a great popularity.

I can also advise people who are studying in their 3^rd or 4^th year to apply for flexible attendance. As far as I know, this can only be done if your work corresponds to your major. It seems to me, though, that this option is only for very responsible and hardworking people."