How to Stop Yourself From Falling Behind

As a college first-year, getting adjusted to college life was difficult at, first but once I got the hang of it, I never looked back. Compared to high school, college is a huge adjustment and forces you to work more on your own. You have to do everything from picking out your schedule to feeding yourself every day. It can be hard to make the switch or even get yourself back on track after not having a normal school schedule due to the pandemic. This time of the year, finals are coming sooner than you think, so if you are falling behind, now is the time to catch up.

1. Make a checklist of all the tasks/assignments you need to finish

Making a checklist is one of the best things you can do for yourself when you are feeling overloaded with assignments. With the checklist, you can lay out each and every assignment you have to finish and cross it off as you go along. Using a spreadsheet or document can mobilize your list so it isn’t in one set place and can be accessible at any time of day. By checking your syllabus, you can most likely find all of the future assignments and their due dates, which makes it easy for organization. Checklists are one of the best ways to see all your work laid out and makes for an easy visualization of your upcoming schedule.

2. Read your emails

Just thinking about reading emails already sounds like a bore, but sometimes they could be super important especially if it is where your professor sends out time-sensitive messages. Upcoming assignments or important events can be found in a professors’ emails, which are things you wouldn’t want to fall behind on. If you have a ton of emails in your inbox, take some time to go through them. You could see what you’ve been missing out on or finally clear your head because you don’t have that notification on your email app anymore. Once you catch up on emails, it is so easy to stay on top of them and get rid of ones you don’t need anymore. Email is a primary way of communication today so it is always important to stay up to date. 

3. Put aside time each day to do work

If you set aside some time each day to work on your assignments, by the end of the week you won’t feel so swamped. Some assignments take a lot of work, so breaking them up into chunks can make them much easier to complete. If you find it hard to focus for long amounts of time, look for ways that will increase your attention span. For example, the Pomodoro method has you working for 25 minutes with a five-minute break in between, and after the fourth Pomodoro, you get to take a 20-minute break. Using this method helps you to stay on task and gives you breaks as well.

4. Take breaks

As always, it is super important to take breaks because everyone needs them. Long days of work are exhausting especially if they are done consecutively, so giving yourself a break is a reward for all of the hard work. Taking a break can get your mind off of your work and give yourself a rest. Whether you decide to take a walk, listen to music or hang out with your friends, breaks are beneficial to your well-being.