With exam season present, finals approaching, summer imminent, move-out soon, work shifts never-ending, and those random to-do tasks all on one’s mind, how does one do it all?

I am used to staying busy, but now more than ever I have been feeling the real pressure of college life and finding balance. As the semester comes to a close, I have been asked to do more in classes and for work, but I also have personal tasks to plan for moving out and the summer. I am staying sane by living and attending by the following:

• Make a to-do list, but not in a particular order
  • Obviously, it is important to prioritize deadlines or at least keep them in mind, but for the rest of your to-do list that just has to get done, don’t force an order.
  • Keeping yourself a strict to-do list order-wise comes with the caveat that you may not want to do a particular task at the time you told yourself you have to. If you force yourself to do a task in a moment you don’t want to, you are not being as productive as you could be, therefore are wasting time. Do what feels right at the moment, it will help maintain your energy.
• Wake up early, sleep when needed
  • Waking up early is energizing for most people (yes you can get coffee to help with that). This will remind you you have a fresh start and have the whole day ahead of you to accomplish endless things!
  • However, waking up early can come with some afternoon sleepiness. Take a power nap! Something short and getting up with your alarm will give you a break while doing something re-energizing so you are not dragging through the rest of your day and tasks.
• Get moving
  • Have a full-blown workout or a brief walk. Either way, plowing through a to-do list needs a break that is not a task and outcome-oriented at a desk. Use this as an opportunity to rejuvenate.
• Treat yourself and don’t postpone rewards as targets
  • Get your coffee to get you through the day, take the nap when you need it, get food at mealtimes, and go on a walk when you need a break.
  • Rewarding yourself at the time you need a reward or comfort is much better than pushing through a task to get to a reward because you maintain the energy you need to get through the tasks you have at hand. If you are miserable while doing your tasks and pushing yourself to reach a goal before the reward, what is the reward recharging you for? Use the reward with the intent to keep you going rather than marking a finish line
• Sometimes set goals
  • With a never-ending to-do list, it is important to set a goal of what you want to get done in a day so you are making your way through tasks rather than just adding to the list
  • It is okay not to meet these goals to get a massive load of things done, you are making progress either way.
• Be opportunistic
  • Your friend asked you to go to lunch or dinner? There is an event you want to go to on-campus? Go!
  • Along the same lines of feeling re-energized, you can’t sit at your desk all day and plow through a to-do list. You still are in college and are looking at some one-time experiences. Have fun between tasks, you have time for a break.
• Think of positive affirmations
  • You are doing so much, it is important to focus on the good things and remind yourself of how much you have accomplished when it is so easy to think of the negative things regarding the stress you are under.
  • Validate your own feelings, but look at the bright side. There is always one! For example, the semester is almost over and the weather is getting nicer.
• Talk to people
  • When I’m stressed I have a tendency to shut myself in and work until I feel accomplished. I realized how unhealthy this is, and started calling my family back home to catch up. Not only does this provide a healthy break from being busy, but it provides comfort in hearing that stress is validated by those you love and everything is alright with them.
• Plan for the future
  • As stressful as the present is, something always seems to come up at the most inconvenient times to prevent me from studying when I want to, packing my room for move out, finishing an assignment, and more. It helps to start even things in the distant future early in case this happens (start studying for finals even just a bit). If nothing happens, you will have some well-deserved free time!