Midterms are just around the corner and I can already feel the weight of piles and piles of assignments on my shoulders (and my desk). Anxiety and stress are the main concerns for college students, 30 percent proclaimed in the 2015 National College Health Assessment, that stress has negatively impacted their academic performance. There are numerous ways to reduce stress and increase productivity, and we all know them, – drink more water, exercise, get some sunlight, organize your room or workspace, and the regurgitated list goes on. However, the difficult part, at least for me, is actually committing to these tasks. I know I need to exercise more, and that I shouldn’t stay indoors all day working/staring at a computer screen, and yet I find myself guilty of doing just that.
In my article, “How to Actually Keep Your 2017 New Year Resolutions,” I discuss how difficult it is to stick to a goal, and sometimes, the problem is that we’re too ambitious with them. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I want to start getting up earlier and go out for a run only to come home, drink a cup of coffee, eat an avocado toast (and then maybe a waffle with eggs and bacon) and then get work done. However, am I really going to start doing that tomorrow, when I have a bunch of assignments that are due that same week?
This is why I’m going to begin accomplishing my goals and decreasing my stress levels by going about a new philosophy. I am going to challenge myself. Instead of constantly thinking about doing something, I’m going to just do it, and cross it off my list.
So, I say, if you want to get up early and go for a run, go do it. Oftentimes, we stop ourselves from taking a break from studying because the exam is that same week. That is why it is always best to start early, make a study sheet or draft out your essay a week before it’s due in addition to spending at least 25 minutes everyday, without any distractions, adding another paragraph to your paper; do the extra research that needs to get done. That’s right, NO DISTRACTIONS! Turn off Instagram and Facebook for only 25 minutes. Just imagine how much you would get done in a day if you minimized the amount of time you spend on social media. You’ll be amazed at how much one can get done in such little time. With this technique, which is actually the pomodoro method, you’ll be sure to reduce the stress many college students suffer from.
Don’t fear deadlines, conquer them.