You know those weeks? Those weeks where everything descends on you at once? Those weeks where you’re 100% certain your professors got together and scheduled everything at the same time just to spite you? Those weeks where you sit at your desk and think about how much work you have to do but you never really get any of it done because you’re so crippled by the amount of work you have to do? Yeah, those weeks. We’ve all had them and we’ve all had a hard time dealing with them, but they’re absolutely manageable AND absolutely conquerable, too. Here are some tips and tricks I’ve gathered from friends and family about dealing with weeks from hell.
1. Make a schedule.
If you’re a visual learner like I am, writing things down and seeing everything laid out in front of you can make assignments more tangible. You can bullet journal, make a spreadsheet, or color code your planner, but physically writing out when you’re going to do what work can make an impossible workload seem more doable. Block out an hour or two for each assignment during your day and stick to your schedule.
2. Tell somewhen when you’re going to do something.
One of my roommates has a habit of telling me when and where he is going to do work. At first, I thought he was just over-sharing, but over time I realized that what he’s actually doing is holding himself accountable by letting me know that he’s supposed to be doing an assignment during that time so I could put him back on track if he got distracted. Asking friends to help keep you on task is a great method if you’re prone to distractions like Netflix, YouTube, etc.
3. Find a good playlist that helps you focus.
If you’re anything like me, studying in complete silence can be maddening. I always have to have some sort of background noise or music when I do homework, and finding the right playlist is essential. Music without lyrics can be a great way to go because you won’t have any words to distract you from what you’re reading or writing. Spotify has a great study playlist called Brain Food, which is a collection of calm electronic music and white noise and it really puts me in the zone.
4. Find a good study environment.
Are you someone who gets easily distracted by other people? Find a study carrel in the back of the library! Are you someone that needs other people around to keep you on task? Get a group of friends together to study! Are you someone who falls asleep the moment you hit your bed? Maybe find another place to read that novel. Finding the right study environment is key to getting all of your work done on time, so make sure you’re in a place with limited distractions that focuses you on your work.
5. Get enough sleep.
I know that a week from hell might seem like the best time to pull an all-nighter (or four), but sleep deprivation will definitely hurt your productivity in the long run. Multiple studies have shown that the quality of your work suffers the longer you go without sleep, so writing your entire paper the night before it’s due is actually a really bad move. Instead, get a head start on that paper and go to sleep when you recognize a persistent lack of focus or general lack of comprehension for what you’ve read or wrote. You can always get up earlier the next morning to finish your work and then budget in a power nap (about 20 minutes) to keep your brain firing at its peak.
6. Don’t panic!
Seriously, though. Why add any more stress to your week? Staying calm is super important because it allows you to focus on the tasks at hand, rather than the overwhelming sense of dread that the tasks could create. Breathe—you’ve got this in the bag.
Image Credit: IvyWise Blog, Pinterest, USC News, Thought Pursuits, LifeHack Lane