The first day of a new semester is such a good day. You put all of your syllabi together, mark the due dates on your calendar, organize all of your binders/folders/notebooks, and get to work. It's an academic fresh start. But even the best-laid plans go wrong. Life happens. Work schedules get in the way. Social activities get added to the calendar. You get tired. You get lazy. Some assignments get pushed to the back burner of your mind. Your due date calendar gets shifted. Reading schedules get messed up and procrastination takes its toll on you.

Then it seems like in the blink of an eye you are halfway through the semester and you have fallen into the never-ending pit of due dates, course readings, and exams. We have all been there. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if it seems so far away and you don't think you will ever catch back up. You can. And you will as long as you are willing to put in the work to get you there. Here is a guide to help you get back on track and make the second half of the semester the best that it can be.

1. Write it all down.

Grab a notebook, piece of paper, or a new Word document. Write down every single thing that you have to do for all of your classes. Write down every article, chapter, or even book that you have to read. Even the things that are past due. Just write it all down. It might look overwhelming once all of it is staring you in the face, but don't worry. This is the first step to fixing the problem that you have created. Just get it all down.

2. Cross off anything you can no longer turn in.

Now look at your list and pull out all the assignments that are overdue. Not the readings, just the assignments. Now look at your syllabi and see what your professors' late policies are. If the professor absolutely doesn't accept late assignments and they have made that very clear in their syllabus then you should probably just cross those items off of your list at this point. You can try contacting the professor and asking for an extension, but if they make a big deal about it in their syllabus chances are the answer will be no. So just cut your losses and vow to not miss any more assignments.

3. Ask your professors for extensions.

If the professor does allow late submissions or if they seem more relaxed about it in their syllabus, shoot them an email and ask them about the possibility of turning in those assignments for late credit. Don't make up some sob story about why you didn't turn it in. Just be honest. Tell them you fell behind, and you would like to get caught back up. The worst they can say is no, in which case just mark that item off of your list. They might be able to give you an extension or work something out with you, but you have to ask to know for sure. So just do it!

4. Prioritize your list.

Now, look at your list. Note any new due dates/extensions on your late assignments. Starting with those, number your assignments based on their due dates. This will be the basis for your new assignment calendar. Now you have a list of all of your due dates on one page. Highlight any exams or major papers/projects. Now, look at what readings, if any, each of those assignments requires. Put the same number next to the readings as you put next to the assignments. For example, if the number one priority on your list is a paper on World War II and your professor assigned Article X, Document Y, and Chapters 5-10 in Book Z to be used on that paper, you should have the number "1" next to all 4 items on your list (the paper, the article, the document, and the book chapters). This helps you know exactly what you need to read (or skim, see below) in order to complete that assignment.

5. Do your best and forget the rest of it.

This might be a controversial tip, but if your paper on World War II is due in two days it might be impossible for you to finish all of the reading for that assignment. If it is possible, then get to reading! If not, don't try to stay up for 48 hours reading and writing because ultimately that will result in a sub-par paper and sleep deprivation. Skim your readings. Look at the headers and the footnotes and the index in the back. Find out what sections will help you write a cohesive paper and read those.

Don't worry about the rest. You might need some of that background knowledge, but if you can connect the dots well enough to pass then do that. Using the above example, if your World War II paper is about the women in the United States entering the workforce to support the war effort, you will most likely be okay not reading the three chapters of the book that are about war tactics and events occurring overseas. Look for sections about home life and women and read those. Often this will be good enough to get thoughts and ideas together for a paper.

6. Clear your schedule & get to work.

Devote all of your free time to schoolwork for the next week (or weeks, depending on your situation). Tell your friends you can't go out. Record your TV shows and watch them later. When you get off from work, get straight to the schoolwork. Stay off of Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. DO THE WORK. It will suck for a bit, but you can do it. The only way to get to the light at the end of the tunnel is to head towards it.

If you fall behind in your classes, it can get overwhelming very quickly. You might have dug yourself into a hole, but if you grab a shovel and start digging ASAP, you will make it out! Warning: caffeine will likely be needed.