It's that time of year again! Finals are approaching fast and as more and more students scramble to finish their last few assignments and cram information into their overworked brains before exams start, late-night study sessions fueled by ramen noodles and 3am trips to McDonald's become more and more common. With that in mind, however, there are a few simple ways to combat the panicked last-minute frenzy that is so common among college students, or students in general.

1. Do a Little Bit of Work Each Day

Whether it's a huge project you have to work on or a test you have to study for, we all know the drill. It seems like you have all the time in the world, and you put off the assignment with the promise that you'll start it tomorrow. Then before you know it, it's an hour before your project is due, you just finished but your printer is malfunctioning, someone stole your bike so you have to walk to class, and you're wondering what went wrong. While it is definitely possible to cram out an entire project, paper, etc. in one night, it is not always practical. One way to combat this is is to do a little bit of the assignment each day. Sometimes, it can be as little as simply studying for five to ten minutes on it, or even just writing down your name/creating the title page. Whatever the assignment may be, spending small amounts of time completing parts of it every day before it's due can help avoid the big buildup the night before.

2. Get Rid of Distractions

For me, it's incredibly hard to get any work done if my phone is anywhere within reach. The urge to pick it up and check my texts or make sure my friends aren't going on a Taco Bell trip without me can be all too tempting. To avoid this, you can create a distraction-free environment and set a time limit for how long you'll stay in this environment, with 15 minute breaks every once in a while as a reward. The rules for my distraction-free environment usually include my phone being turned off and in a place where I can't reach it unless I get up and walk across the room (which I know I'll be too lazy to do), and the only thing on my desk being what I'm currently working on.

3. Accept That it's Not Going to Be Perfect

A lot of the time, the reason I end up procrastinating is because I can't find the right time to do the assignment, my keyboard needs to be cleaned, I couldn't find the right font to write my essay, or my shoes weren't the right color that day.

There may never be a perfect time to do an assignment, and your project or paper may not always be the best in the class, but that's okay. What's important is that you get it done.