Remember how when you first got to school you made a vow to stay on top of all your work and not fall behind? You promised yourself this semester would be different. You would keep up with readings and problem sets so that when exams rolled around you weren’t left scrambling to do a semester’s worth of work in one week. Well somehow it’s already the fourth week of classes. If you’re like me, that came out of nowhere, and now you’re already struggling to keep up with your work. Here’s how you can get over the slump and keep your promise.
1.Write it out and cross it out
It might be daunting, but make a list of everything you have to do. Include anything you are late on. It will give you an idea of just how much time you’re going to have to devote. Plan out when you are going to do certain tasks and how long you plan to spend on them. Do this at the beginning of each week so you know what to expect. When you finish one thing, cross it out. Eventually your list will disappear!
2. Set aside 1 hour a day
Reserve one hour of your normal daily homework routine for doing past assignments and readings. If you do this for a couple nights, you should be caught up in no time.
3. Don’t do it again!
Make yourself another promise, and this time make sure you stick to it. Vow to not fall behind again. That way you won’t have to go through this whole process a second time.
4. Reward yourself
Give yourself rewards whether they are big or small. For every assignment or reading you finish, watch one episode of your favorite show. If you’re really good all week, you might even be able to reward yourself with a Thursday night out at Feve with your friends.
5. Change your surroundings
If you normally study in your room, change it up. Try going to the library or your dorm’s study lounge. It’s much easier to get distracted when you’re in your own space and surrounded by all of your things. Plus, if you’re surrounded by other people who are working hard, you’ll be more motivated to do so yourself.
6. Split things up
If you have a big chunk of dry reading to do, break it apart. Instead of trying to do it all in one sitting read a few pages at a time in between working on other things. This way you won’t get tired of the material and drift off.
7. Send yourself reminders
Use an app like myHomework Student Planner to keep track of assignments and exams. Send yourself reminders for when due dates are coming up so you aren’t caught by surprise.