You feel like you run all day long to only get to the end of the day and realize how much you did not get done. Things continue popping up on your “to-do” list, and as this happens you feel like you have less and less time to accomplish things and accomplish them efficiently. If you are like me then you are not only committed to your school work, but you also may be involved in clubs, sororities, fraternities, or have a job. All of these other things take just as much time and effort as your school work. Eventually, you just get so overwhelmed that you feel like you could scream, pull your hair out, or hide under your covers all day.
Do you mumble any of these statements at some point in your day?
I don’t have time for this // This will take too long // This is just a waste of time
If you do, here are 5 things you can do to get your week under control in just ten minutes.
1.) Plan Out EVERYTHING.
Do whatever you have to do to plan out your day/ week. Buy a planner, post sticky notes everywhere, write notes on your hand, put reminders in your phone. DO WHATEVER. Once you have things planned out and reminders set, it will make you feel so much better. This will literally take less than 10 minutes
2.) Prioritize.
Take each thing you need to do step by step and day by day. Decide what task you need to accomplish first and start on it THEN! If you work on an assignment at least 10 minutes a day with no distractions, at full attention, you will have more of your assignment completed rather if you sat there for an hour distracted and not focusing.
3.) Wake up 10 Minutes Earlier.
Who wants to do that? Yes I know, it sounds evil because in college that extra 10 minutes is very important, but it WILL pay off. In this extra 10 minutes, don’t check your phone or turn on your music just yet, plan out your day. Look at the things that need do get done TODAY, (not tomorrow) rather it be assignments or running errands, and decide when you will do these things. Look for times when you have breaks or downtime and plan to do these things then. It is okay to keep some downtime still in the day, that is when prioritizing comes into play.
4.) Put Away Electronics 10 Minutes Earlier.
No one wants to that either, not even me. At the end of the day, the last thing I want to be thinking about is what all I have to do, but that is often the time that my mind is running wild and when I get stressed out the most. Take 10 minutes to check off all things that you accomplished today…the list you made in the morning when you woke up 10 minutes earlier that morning. That way you feel good at the end of the day when you are able to check off things, instead of seeing a long list of items you forgot to do or didn’t make time to do. It will make you feel like you are actually doing something with your life, I promise.
5.) Accept Things Will Pop Up.
It never fails that right when we think we are on top of something, a professor assigns a random assignment or an emergency comes up that you can't ignore. It completely blows your plans to pieces and now you are stressed again not knowing when you will get everything done. Take A Breath. It will all be okay. When you have the chance again sit back down and re-plan. Try not to wait too long to do this because you let valuable time slip by that you will need in the long run.
No one wants to pull all-nighters because us college kids love our sleep. We’ll even set an alarm for a 10-minute nap if we have time. You can even add that into your daily schedule because I know I do!
