Every college student can relate to the experience of incomplete tasks piling on top of each other until all feels hopeless. Responsibilities from classes, work, clubs, social life, and personal care add up quickly and sometimes it feels like once you fall behind you’ll never be able to catch up. This feeling leads you to further procrastinate which only makes the situation worse. However, both the prevention and solution to this problem can be solved by a completed to-do list.
Although a lot of times a finished to-do list seems impossible, it’s all about chipping away at all your tasks and making small dents in your pile of responsibilities. I have found a way to set up and get through my to-do list in a way that keeps me accountable without feeling overwhelmed.
The first step I take while creating my list is making one long list of everything I need to do that day as it comes to mind. This original draft has no order, just what I know I have to get done that day. Next, I sort these tasks into groups of urgency. For example, if I have an exam the next day, study would be in the “urgent” category, whereas painting my nails would be in the “it can wait” group.
Seeing what needs to be done the quickest layed out for me helps me organize my time in a more productive way, and obviously helps me get the most time-sensitive items done first. However, I don’t always stick to the exact order of tasks. For me, checking something off my to-do list, even something as small as painting my nails, lifts a weight off my chest. Therefore, after completing an urgent task that comes close to burning me out, checking a couple of quick less-urgent tasks can keep me feeling motivated and on task, while getting stuff done in the process.
For the urgent tasks, I also set a time limit for getting them done. I estimate how long they will take me and give myself a bit of wiggle room. I try not to set exact times for when everything needs to be done, because I feel defeated if I fall behind schedule.
By sorting your tasks by urgency, and also giving yourself a break when needed while still maintaining your momentum, completing your to-do lists can go from impossible to completed.
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