With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, there are many exams, assignments and projects that are due. This leads to cramming a bunch of studying and assignments which eventually leads to burn out. It’s important to not burn out during this time so here are some tips as to how not to burn out.Â
Create Lists and Schedules
List all the assignments you need to get done and make a schedule for how you will get all of your assignments done. Look at due dates and figure out how long certain assignments will take and based on this make a schedule of when you will get an assignment done. If it is an assignment that’s really long, start it earlier and make a schedule of how much you will get done each day. If it is a quicker assignment, figure out what day makes most sense to complete it. This helps avoid burnout because when you have a really long assignment and you don’t realize till the last minute you will end up cramming it which is overwhelming and stressful.Â
Take Breaks
Even though it may seem like you have way too much work to do and you can’t take a break, try to take at least a 10 minute break every so often. Try to do this after you finish a task or an assignment because it will help you reset before going into the next task. During this break shut off your computer or put away your notes/papers and just scroll on our phone or talk to someone. Distract yourself from the work for the10 minutes.Â
Reward Yourself
Treating yourself to a reward after you finish a task keeps you motivated. This could be a sweet treat or a fun drink, just something you know will make you feel better and will help you get through all your work.Â
Organize Assignments
Unfortunately sometimes when we have so much work we end up putting less effort into certain assignments. Figure out which assignments are the most important and need to get done first and need to have the most time put into them and then take it from there. It’s better to get a really good grade on an assignment that is worth more of your grade and lower grade on an assignment that’s not worth much than to get a high grade on an assignment that is not worth much and a bad grade on an assignment that is worth a lot.Â
Reach Out to Groups Ahead of Time
Group projects can be very difficult to coordinate, that is why it is extremely important to touch base with your groups as far ahead of time as you possibly can. If you leave this to the last minute it will cause so much more stress on top of the stress that you are already experiencing with all your other work.Â
When it comes to burn out, just try to not take everything so seriously and understand not everything has to be perfect and just try to stay organized so you don’t overwhelm yourself the day before finals start.Â