Handling a Heavy College Workload

I’m currently finishing my last semester of school…ever, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to share with you something relating to this current “phase” of my senior year. It’s crazy to think that in just a little less than three weeks, I’ll be walking across the graduation stage, and from there, my long-standing title as “student” will disappear for good. Three weeks seems like such a short period of time, and it is, but when this period of time is measured by the number of homework assignments, tests, and presentations that need to be completed before that time is up, three weeks can feel more like an eternity.

This is the inevitable reality of the final weeks of a college semester. I honestly thought that this would change, especially given the fact that I am a virtual second semester senior, but I was definitely wrong. It’s that time of year, once again, that everything seems to be coming due or happening all at once—final exams, projects, presentations, oh, and those long-term assignments that you thought you had all the time in the world for, those too. In fact, it’s actually kind of funny that I’m sitting here writing this instead of working on the mile-long list of things that I have to do. I probably shouldn’t be, but yet, here I am.

So…how exactly do I handle all of the work that I tend to have at this point in the semester, and all of the stress that inevitably comes with it? I’d like to think that, at this point, I’m a seasoned professional, but unfortunately, that’s not fully the case. My first thought, typically, is to panic, and honestly, I think that this form of reaction is completely normal. The thought of having to accomplish so much within such a short period of time can be overwhelming, to say the least. I’ve learned, however, that this initial panic doesn’t really get you anywhere except right back to square one, even if it feels like the “right” thing to do in the moment.

After the initial panic, I’ve found that the most productive thing to do is make a list. Yes, I know, this is probably the most basic suggestion a person could give, but it’s a really good one, and it took me way too many times of being told to do this before I actually caved and did it. So yes, make a list that includes everything and anything that you have to do within the period of time that you are currently given, and plan out your days accordingly. This will allow you to “assign” periods of time to specific assignments, and in breaking this long list up by day, it makes all that you have to do seem ~a little~ less overwhelming…and now, you won’t spend every minute of every day worrying about when and how you’re going to get it all done. You can have full focus on the one thing you’re doing, and only that one thing, at any given moment, and feel relief in knowing that you have it all under control, and that it will all eventually get done. Believe me, there’s no greater feeling than the one that comes with checking one thing after another off of your lengthy to-do list.

Now that you’ve made your list and have scheduled out blocks of time for each of your obligations, you’re ready to take on the final weeks of the semester. However, making a list does not necessarily free you from that overwhelming feeling that you’re likely to experience several times more throughout the remainder of the school year. With that, you need to remind yourself that school is important, but so are the other aspects of your life. Continuing to live your life and take care of yourself should be just as much of a priority to you as your school assignments. Yes, you may have less time to do the things that you want to do, outside of your school work, but that does not mean that you should give them up altogether these next few weeks.

So, how do you do it all? It’s definitely not easy, but you have to continuously remind yourself of the importance of balance throughout this time. You have a lot that you need to get done, and I can relate all too well to the feeling that you don’t have ANY time to take for yourself, but you have to incorporate breaks into your schedule—Let’s face it, very rarely can we be consistently productive and accomplish the things that we have set out to do if we’re focused on the same thing throughout all hours of the day. These breaks don’t have to be too long, and they don’t have to be planned in advance…step away when you feel like you need to. Go outside and get some sunlight. Watch an episode of your favorite TV show. Exercise. Try out that recipe you’ve been meaning to for quite some time. Take a ride in the car. Listen to some music. Grab a cup of coffee from your favorite coffee spot. There are so many things you can do when you step away from school work for a little bit. It doesn’t matter what you do in that time, just as long as you take it.

Here’s to finishing off the school year strong, and continuing to find some sort of enjoyment in every step of the way…