With midterms, essays, projects, study groups and everything else going it’s starting to feel like we’re never going to make it to spring break. Here are some tips, tricks and ideas to handle it all and to remind you that you will, in fact, make to your well-deserved break.
Stay balanced.
Whether conscious or not, we all have a list of priorities. Take a moment to evaluate what’s on the end of your list, for most people it tends to be self-care type things. Those are the easiest to put off. Because of this, find a way to prioritize it. Self-care is different for everyone, sometimes it’s hanging out with friends, going to the gym, watching Netflix or doing a face mask and drinking tea. Whatever it is schedule out a part of your day or week to fit it in. When we do things to take care of ourselves it makes it so much easier to function in other aspects of our lives that are important, so that time you set aside ends up being totally worth it.
You do you.
We all have different amounts of work and things going on as students and it is important to keep that in mind. There seems to be this culture of trying to out stress each other. Remember to have compassion for your friends that are stressed and overwhelmed. But also remember to be happy for your friends who seem to not be stressed and have it all under control, instead of acting like you have so much more going on so, therefore, you are more valid and work harder. Also know that just because you are stressed and they aren’t doesn’t mean that they are better than you, it just means that you both have different stress levels. Don’t compare yourself, you do you!
Do it ahead of time.
Do all of your smaller easier tasks first. This could be anything from folding laundry to a small homework assignment. Doing small things first works because it creates a smaller amount of things you have to do and quickly and this momentum of productivity will bring you into doing your larger more daunting assignments and tasks.
Stay organized.
This tip seems obvious, of course, we should stay organized when we have so much on our plates! But it is actually a lot easier said than done. All the things you have to deal with and do becomes so much more doable when you manage it correctly. Everyone has different ways of staying organized, so do what works for you (that might involve trying a bunch of different methods). Somewhere to start though is first, use an online calendar to manage all the scheduled things you have going on, like when you have class and club meetings.
Tips
- Don’t forget to use the alert setting so you’re notified when you have something coming up! Remember that you can sync it to your phone and computer so it’s all there.
- Use stickies on your desktop. This makes everything visually in front of you whenever you’re on your computer! A few stickie recommendations include: a to-do list, a list of all the due dates you have coming up and a list of homework assignments.
- Use a planner. It is really easy to organize your life purely virtually, but having something physical is amazing. It really reminds you of all the work you have when you’re physically writing it down and feels amazing to physically cross off things you’ve accomplished.
Believe in yourself.
This sounds cheesy, but the beginning of the semester tends to be one of the busiest times of the year. You’re still adjusting back into the swing of things and your new schedule. You’ve probably just settled into your routine. Have faith in yourself that you can handle it all because you can. Stop, take a few deep breaths, and continue grinding. Remember that at the end of the day, you’ll be better off being involved and a little stressed rather than not involved and not making the most of your college experience. You got this!
And don’t forget: we’re two short weeks away from spring break. If you’ve tried these tips, remember that the Counseling Center and Academic Support and Access Center are always there for extra, professional help if you need it.