The start of the Spring semester brings with it mixed feelings. Part of you is excited to be back in your usual routine surrounded by all of your friends while the other part of you is dreading having to get out of bed before noon again. You’re relieved to have a fresh start in new classes, but within a few minutes of looking at the syllabus, you’re overwhelmed and don’t know how you could possibly get all of these assignments done and all of these tests passed and you just want to go ahead and drop out. Syllabus week quickly comes to an end and the obligations, assignments, and pressure come in full force.

Take a breath and relax. Instead of worrying about all that you have to do this semester and how busy your schedule will be, focus on getting organized and having better time management while it’s still early in the semester. One of the best ways to be better organized and practice time management is to buy a planner, and get this, actually use it! I struggle with using a planner to the fullest rather than writing down one assignment per month. You’d be surprised, however, to see how effective using a planner can be. Knowing that everything that is due and every meeting you have to attend is written down already so that you can remember it and prepare for it in advance is a game changer.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” When the burden of every responsibility and assignment you have becomes too much turn to God. As His word says, you can do all things through Him. Spending time in His word and in prayer can give you a calmer mind and help you regroup so that you can be better prepared to tackle every hurdle that comes your way. Making time for Him can be tricky at times (although it should be the easiest thing we do), but the payoff is more valuable than anything.

Make this semester better than all of the other ones. Quit procrastinating, lay off the Netflix a little, eat healthier, and just try all around to make simple choices that will better your life. Believe that you will be able to succeed. When you have a bad day and don’t want to even think about stepping foot in one more class, take some time off to care for yourself and then get back up on the saddle. A bad day does not equal a bad life. Even though sometimes it can be difficult to imagine, I promise you that one day all of this stress and hard work will be worth it if you try. Everything may not go exactly as you want it to or plan for it to, but it’s all part of a grander plan.