1. Make it Tangible
Write a To-Do list, set up your master calendar (or just put every detail of your life into your smartphone), color code—do whatever you must to best visualize what you’ve got to do and when.
2. Prioritize
If this comes naturally to you, keep doing your thing. If it doesn’t, try to organize yourself, your classes, and your assignments by levels of importance. Not that each of your classes isn’t as important as the next, but micro-manage everything involving a due date and make note of the time necessary to complete it.
3. Me-Time is Important, Too
Like running, if you use up all your energy at the start, you’ll burn out quickly. Don’t throw everything on your plate at once and leave yourself no time to kick back and relax! Your brain needs little breaks just like your body. If you have to schedule yourself for a nap from 3:20-3:40, put it in your calendar and regret nothing.
4. Speaking of Naps…#Snooze
Naps aren’t for everybody. That being said, if you know a 20-minute rest will only ruin your motivation for the day and you simply can’t afford to do that, skip the midday snooze, but allow yourself at least 8 hours of sleep that night. If you’re an avid napper and find them refreshing, schedule one every other day somewhere between 2:00 and 4:00. This is usually a time that classes are starting to wrap up for the day, but isn’t going to interfere with dinner.
5. Don’t Overdo the Snooze, Though! Set Your Alarms.
Set one to wake up—early enough for your morning routine AND with time for breakfast—one to catch the bus, one for class, one for work, one for that club, one for nap time (and when to wake up), one for dinner, and heck, throw one in for Netflix. If you’re like my roommate and myself (I recently converted to the iPhone-dependent lifestyle), you schedule your days right down to the minute, and the calendar on your phone can give you alerts and reminders for anything you add. (You can also sync them to your laptop if that’s easier!)
6. When in Doubt, Ask for Help
We all get to that point of being overwhelmed with life, and it’s okay. Your advisor can be a trusted friend, a classmate, or your favorite professor. Sometimes, professors have more experience in dealing with the kinds of problems you’re facing, so they might be the best source of advice. This isn’t to say you should be asking your English professor for an extension on your paper, but for help on scheduling time for working on it so you can get it done efficiently without torturing yourself for hours in the library.
7. Get Comfortable
Your work space doesn’t have to resemble a dimly-lit prison cell; besides the many architecturally sound classroom buildings on campus, there are plenty of aesthetically pleasing places to get work done both on and off campus. Starbucks, for example, has free-wifi, local artwork, and comfy, cushioned seats for your studying pleasure.
8. Breathe!
Though it can seem like it at times, school isn’t about metaphorically holding your breath for a week straight, then gasping for air on the weekends, only to start all over again that Monday. When you’re stressed, stop what you’re doing; get up and stretch or go for a walk, take a few deep breaths, listen to some good music while you InstaHashTweet, have some chocolate, do whatever works for you. You’ll slip in to a comfortable pace and everything will be fine!