As mid-September approaches us the semester is now back in full swing. Homework is starting to pile up, extracurriculars are starting back up, and everyone’s lives are getting busy. I can speak for myself, that everyday I feel like I am always on the go with classes, homework, extracurriculars, and my job while also making time for sleeping, eating, and fulfilling basic life tasks. With life now back into reality and that summer vacation mindset fading away, it is easy for one to get burnt out, stressed, disorganized, and drained. Here is my survival plan for this school year to stay organized and put together while avoiding burnout and exhaustion.
- Utilizing a planner or Google Calendar
One of my biggest tips to staying organized and remembering everything that I need to do is using some form of planner or calendar. Whether it’s Google Calendar, a phone calendar, a hardcover planner, or some type or organizer these will help you keep track of all of your assignments, classes, involvements, and whatever else you need. I use my planner for keeping track of all of my academics, like what days homework are due, what classes I need to do work for each day, and when I have tests, quizzes, or projects. I use my google calendar for keeping track of my involvements and my shifts for my job, like what days do I have my meetings or events to go to for my extracurriculars and what days I work. By using these, they have helped me stay very organized, help me go through day-by-day what I have to do, and avoid getting overworked.
- Getting eight hours of sleep & healthy eating
Yes, this might be a repetitive wellness tip that is shared, but getting an adequate amount of sleep each night and eating healthy food options is an essential for avoiding exhaustion. Sleep plays such an important role in making sure you are able to function each day and lack of sleep can lead to immense tiredness and even fatigue or illness. I know college students have long days of getting up early and going to late at night, but setting up a sleep schedule where you can get enough sleep every night will truly make an impact on your wellbeing. In addition, trying to eat as healthy as possible will help you stay focused, lower stress, and keep you energized. Prioritizing these habits are a necessity for having a well-balanced lifestyle and preventing the burnout that can come with being a college student.
- Break assignments into smaller steps
The workload in college can get overwhelming easily. Trust me, I have been there. Balancing work between multiple classes can be hard to do. A very important thing to do when it comes to dividing up work is to break down assignments into smaller pieces. For example, say if you need to read forty pages of textbook reading by Friday and it is Monday, you can read ten pages on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Another example could be if you have to do a twenty question math worksheet by Friday and it is Monday, you could do five problems Monday-Thursday. This helps so much because you are not spending too much time on one particular assignment a day or giving yourself hours of work to do. It declutters your workload each day which makes your life less stressful. Breaking down assignments helps you get started working on things, improves your time management, and does not make your brain go crazy.
- Take breaks when needed
This next tip goes hand and hand with the one above. When getting crammed with a lot of homework, it is crucial to take breaks in between assignments to avoid brain fog. For example, if there are three assignments you have to do in one day, take a break in between each of them. This break could be five minutes or it could be a longer one depending on how much time the work takes you to complete. During the break you could eat a snack, relax, or whatever feels best for you. These breaks will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed with schoolwork, recharge your brain, and help you reset before the next thing you need to do. These always help me from feeling clogged with assignments and making my days flow much smoother. Breaks are necessary to become a well-balanced student and avoid academic burn out.Â
- Make time for yourself
Lastly, one of the most significant pieces of advice I recommend is to make time for yourself. This is essential to keeping yourself composed. Even if you only have a little bit of time on your hands each day, still, make time for yourself, you will need it. Those days where you get so stressed, are barely able to function, and get swamped with whatever the day may bring you, making time for yourself is needed. This could be doing a hobby, relaxing, or even doom scrolling on social media. Do whatever you need to do. This will make your days so much easier and get rid of the negative energy or emotions you had prior. Like I mentioned before with taking breaks, making time for yourself will also help recharge your body. This is vital for keeping up with yourself, mental health, and not over working your body.
This plan for surviving the school year should make an overall difference on your ability to stay organized, manage stress, and maintain a healthy balance between everything you’ve got going on. Once you start doing these tips weekly or even daily, it will have a profound impact on your wellbeing and you can kiss burn out goodbye.