So, last week I talked about how stressed out I was and what I did to alleviate some of that personal stress. You would think I would have cleared up some of that stress by now, but that seems to be the beauty of college: you’re never really done working on something at any point. Maybe over Winter break or Summer, but not during the semester. In an attempt to practice some self-care this weekend, I let some of my work accumulate, leaving me in need for self-care, which was caused by the self-care. Is anyone else confused?

Out of an attempt to help myself through this exceptionally stressful start to the week, I thought I’d create a list for you and me both of steps that I have discovered (mostly over the course of today) help me get work done in an efficient, yet not too rushed way.

1. Make lots of lists! I have found that when I can write out all of the things I have to do that are pressing and due the soonest, as well as the ones that I can take my time on, it helps me schedule out my time most efficiently, which is my next step.
2. Schedule out your day as closely as possible, and always add in some extra time. Yes, it may sound silly to pencil in 45 minutes to complete one assignment that you think will take you closer to 15. But, if you’re anything like me and you start to get distracted and procrastinate even at crunch time, then you’re more than likely going to use every bit of those 45 minutes.
3. This one may be the most important one: turn off your phone! I am extremely guilty of mindlessly checking one text and then ending up falling down an Instagram rabbit hole for half an hour before I even realize I was on Instagram. If you need your phone on, then download a focus app! I have one called “Forest” where you can set a timer for yourself, and as long as you’re still in that app and not using anything else on your phone, you grow a little tree for working!
4. Finally, still try to put forth your best effort. I know it’s easier at midnight to just throw some words on a paper and call it finished, but what’s the point in making an effort to do it at all if you aren’t going to do it well?

Best of luck to all of you if you’re going through some stressful nights as well. I made it through what has appeared to be the most stressful part of my week so far, and I hope you all can maybe follow one or two of these steps to do the same.