This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Barnard chapter.
- Have three achievable goals a day
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- It’s really easy to write down everything you have to do and then get intimidated by the size of the list. Not breaking down huge assignments into smaller pieces can also make it hard to approach an assignment. Breaking them down into smaller (more achievable) tasks will help you finish them and also make you feel like you are making progress. Making a couple of goals that you have to complete every day is the best way to feel like you are actually doing something.
- I know whenever I don’t break down my essays into smaller parts, and I finish maybe the intro or a body paragraph, I still feel like I didn’t do anything that day because it wasn’t something I could “check off” or “cross off” of my task list.
- Leave your Sundays open
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- It doesn’t have to be Sunday, but having one day of the week open to doing whatever you need to recharge and make yourself feel better is vital to ensuring you don’t feel burnt out. It’s straightforward to get into the “grind” and feel like you need to be doing something productive every single day, every single hour — even down to the minute for some. Get out of this headspace. Give yourself some time to do nothing — it’ll make you feel a lot better mentally.
- I like to have my weekends free, but because of how hectic life is, it’s hard, and so I try to, at the very least, leave either an afternoon or evening off to recharge.
- Recognize when you’re at emotional limits
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- This will be something you have to be seriously aware of when midterms and finals come around. It’s very easy to get lost in studying and simply working, making you forget to remember your feelings and to check in with your mental state. And then once you are done studying, working, or taking your exam, all of those feelings come rushing towards you, and it’ll be hard to manage.
- Journaling or meditating every once in a while will help you understand your current state and figure out what to do to either make yourself feel better or feel the same.
- Learn how to say no
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- This is hard right now because things are finally opening back up and you feel like you want to experience everything — hanging out with friends, exploring the city, etc. But you have to understand that you are only one person who already has a multitude of responsibilities (especially when it comes time for midterms and finals).
- So you have to start saying no.
- It’s definitely challenging, but your friends and family should realize that you have a lot going on — if they don’t, tell them — and that you have other tasks you need to prioritize.
- Take care of yourself physically
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- It’s so easy to neglect simple physical tasks, like eating or drinking water when busy, overwhelmed, or simply feeling tired. Try your best to remember the smaller things; they will help you feel better about yourself, your day, and how things are going.
- Forgetting your daily tasks may cause many problems later on, so try to make some time every day for yourself.
- Make a study plan beforehand
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- Writing down your to-do list is easy; figuring out how you are going to do the tasks is a lot harder. That’s why making a simple study plan before you get started will help your work “flow” better.
- Every time I do work, I try to get into the “flow” state. This is when your mind and body are seemingly connected, and you are able to put your full attention on the task at hand. This only happens whenever I already have a study plan — I don’t have to think about what I have to do next, I just automatically do it.
- (I would do some research on the flow state if you are interested in deep work or anything else of that sort!)
- Learn how to ask for help
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- Whenever you are struggling, you tend not to ask for help because you don’t want other people to see that you are struggling. I would get rid of that notion; if you are in school, then the teachers, professors, teaching assistants, etc., are all there to help you. Try to use all of the resources that are being given because they are given for a reason, and they will actually help you!
- Never forget your hobbies
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- Similar to the point about taking care of yourself physically, a lot of people tend to cast aside their hobbies and pastimes because they are too busy/feel they don’t have enough time to do anything other than work. Forgetting to do things that “calm your soul” or relax you isn’t smart. You need downtime because you will reach a point where you are so overwhelmed that you feel like you want to quit or you feel burnt out — just remember you can’t always be “grinding,” you need to take care of your physical and mental health.
- Log off from time to time
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- I think as time goes on social media gets really overwhelming. There are so many trends, people, events, activities, etc. going on that you feel like you are missing out on everything. I like to set limits on my social media apps just in case I use them too much — which I recommend everyone do if you feel like you doom scroll often — but I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to log off than it seems. In the beginning, it feels like you are missing out on a lot online, but as time goes on you start to realize all of the things (or time in some cases) you missed (wasted) when you stayed “online” for hours on end every day.