Daylight Savings Time just hit and the seasons are changing. It’s dark before 6:30 PM and the semester is almost over. The weeks are somehow flying by while also dragging on unbearably slowly. How do we keep up with the final weeks?
First off, let’s take a deep breath together. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and breathe out for 8 seconds. Unclench your jaw and loosen your shoulders. Now we are ready to talk.
- One of my favorite methods for staying on top of assignments, tests, meetings, etc. is creating lists. I know, I know. You’ve heard this a million times before, but it genuinely works. Try breaking it down to each class to start off. What do you have for English class? What about the math class that you keep forgetting about? Write it all out in one place. I put all of mine in an Excel sheet and give each class a color. This brightens up the sheet and helps you distinguish assignments so there’s no confusion. You can then sort them by date and check them off as you do them. Or go the classic pen on paper route and list assignments in a notebook or journal. Keep it clean and keep it organized. If your list is disorganized, you will be as well.
- On the same line of thought, make notes for yourself everywhere. My mom has constant scribbles of notes on her hands. I always have notes on my laptop. Do what works for you. Write on the dry erase board that just hangs in your room. Buy some sticky notes or use scraps of notebook paper. Just make sure to continuously bother yourself so you can’t forget tasks. Add deadlines and events to the calendar on your phone. It is so easy to let things slip your mind with all that piles up during the final few weeks of the semester. Make it impossible for yourself to forget.
- This may seem counterintuitive if keeping on top of schoolwork is your main concern but make sure you keep socializing. It may get dark out by the time you are leaving campus now but make time to hang out with friends. Get a meal between classes or dinner as you are leaving campus. Make sure you have at least one day a week where you are allowed to simply relax and let go of pressures and stress. It can feel like everyone wants some of your time at the end of the semester, but try to remember that it is your time. You can only give so much and still function. Getting assignments done is important but your social life is just as important (if not more so). Study for exams with your friends. Talk over your projects over lunch or some coffee. Isolating yourself and working away at the work that needs to get done in what feels like an impossible time period is tempting but not sustainable. We need each other, especially when things get tough.
- I know I may be sounding like a preachy teen magazine or self-help book but make time for self-care as well. Try that drink from Starbucks. Take a nice, long shower or bath (and use those products that you have been saving for a rainy day). Buy yourself a Walmart bouquet of flowers to liven up your desk. Do even the littlest thing that will brighten your day. I know I do my best work after I deep-clean. Anything works as long as it eases your mind.
At the end of it all just remember that it is all about perspective. Will you remember when you got a B even though you tried for that A in a few years’ time? Probably not. This is not me saying that you shouldn’t try. I just know burnout and how much it sucks. What I am suggesting is that you try, but not at your own expense. Take breaks when your body and/or brain tell you to. The moment you realize that you are surviving and not living, take a step back. The work will be there but your health will take a lot longer to fix. Take care of yourself and reach out to people for anything and everything. It’s your life, so enjoy it!