Summer has begun.

The summer plans swirl in your head, erasing all thoughts of the internship, job and summer classes you signed up for. Eventually, you’ll remember these obligations and be bogged down in the thought of monotonously working during your summer. Maintaining focus on what you have to do from the beginning of summer is the easiest way you’ll make it through without drowning in work and making sure you have time for fun.

Here are a few steps you can take to guarantee that you’ll be able to enjoy the thrills of summer and complete the duties of being a college student:

1. Keep the end goal in sight.

Summer’s alluring call usually entices everyone at the beginning of the break, forcing them to procrastinate on all their work until the end. Don’t be one of these people. You have to stay in the work mode that you were in during school and use it to get everything done that you can at the beginning of summer break. This will allow you to tackle whatever jobs, internships or fun plans you have, free of distractions. It will also give you a nice break the few weeks before recruitment and school begin.

2. Maintain a summer schedule.

Typically, the average college summer schedule consists of sleeping until noon, laying out at the pool, and then hanging out until the wee hours of the morning. Try to keep a somewhat loose schedule that will give you enough structure to be productive, but also plan in some time to relax or have fun. Keeping your mind active will help you glide through your assignments rather than struggling. Studies have also shown that keeping a productive schedule will help you feel happier and healthier than being a couch potato.

3. Utilize organization and to-do lists.

Nothing feels better than checking off an item on your seemingly never-ending to-do list. Use it to keep track of all the things you need to do during the summer so they don’t overwhelm you later. Also, as soon as you get back from school, grab all the papers you need and organize them so you’re not scrambling to find an assignment that’s crinkled at the bottom of your backpack. 

4. Reward yourself.

You’ll lose steam quickly if you don’t have anything to look forward to after your hard work. Schedule that vacation or road trip to give you a deadline for getting things. While working hard at your internship and summer school are important, you only have a few summers left before the real world begins, and you likely won’t have any more real summer breaks. Regardless of how much or little you accomplish this summer, you’ll be glad you spent it getting things done and being able to relax at the end.