Another Powerball Lost, Another Semester To Do

Okay, so now that the Powerball’s come and gone and you are still not a billionaire unless you’re one of those lucky 3 people (those machines were rigged, I swear), it’s time to go to Plan B. That’s right, you have to start working on the new semester! Although it just started, the assignments are already pilling up and your free time is already starting to dwindle. How do you even begin to manage it all and still come out as close to sane as possible?

I’ll give you a few tips to help you stay on top of all your life’s obligations and help with chipping away at some of that stress that has been accumulating since you looked at your lengthy syllabi and crazy work schedule.

1. Have a calendar to keep track of due dates

Having a mini calendar or even a large erase board calendar can really help keep your whole schedule in order. It’s easy to get behind on assignments or forget about a monthly meeting when you’re going about your busy work schedule and losing track of the days.

My dry erase calendar literally has saved my life with keeping track of my work schedule, my school schedule and my writing schedule. Keep yourself in check by getting a handy, dandy calendar.

2. Always relieve your stress

It’s really easy to get stressed out when you feel like everything is happening at once and you don’t have enough time in the day. That’s why I always think it’s important to find ways to get rid of your stress that are helpful to you. If you will feel better after having a silly chat with your friends about the latest internet trend, do it. If you want to work out or just go out for a walk to the mailbox, do it. Your mental health is important and you deserve some free time, so take advantage of any free time you have to try and relax.

3. Have study dates and have plenty of them

In the past, I had partaken in a handful of study dates but this semester, I have been taking full advantage of it and it has improved my schedule dramatically. Not only do I get work done from all of us motivating each other, but I also get to spend time with my friends (it’s a win-win situation to me!).

Now the only word of caution I offer is that you find out which friends you will be able to really have successful study dates with. A successful study date requires at least more studying than study breaks, so if that equation isn’t working out then it’s best to let those friends down easy and try again (“It’s not you, it’s me and you”).

4. Don’t over schedule yourself or you’ll go nuts

Trust me, having too much going on can make you want to shut down or even worse, go on a Netflix binge and be unproductive for hours on end. Don’t do it! Don’t Netflix and dog either!  Make sure you are not overdoing yourself because you want to be able to have the choice to do nothing rather than being too busy to even be able to make any plans for yourself.

Remember, it’s college so you have to live it up while getting your semesters done right before the real world chains you in and you can never escape (unless you win the lotto and you choose to hide out on a private island, life goals!).