Balancing your social life, sleep, and work is single-handedly one of the biggest challenges any college student will face. I myself have just gone through a pretty brutal week of writing papers and doing assignments until 4 in the morning while chugging Red Bull and finding a local dealer so that I can get some Adderall and stay up until everything gets done (the last part was a joke I promise). Putting off everything for the last minute definitely isn't the best strategy since it leads to more pressure and anxiety in the end; which is completely avoidable most of the time. The key is knowing how to prioritize and manage your time wisely so that all gets done in a timely fashion and doesn't result in increased stress and dropping grades since you were more focused with rushing through something last minute rather than actually making sure you were giving your 100%.
1. If you're pissed, make lists.
When under stress, making lists makes things easier so that you can more easily visualize everything that you need to get done, and accomplish those tasks in succession since they're fresh in your brain every time. It also helps get your priorities straight. Is going into the city with friends more important than that huge exam you have tomorrow? Crises like these emerge often, but it's up to you to make the decision that is right for you because at the end of the day, the consequences are yours to deal with.
2. Find healthy ways to manage stress
My stress-coping strategies vary from taking naps to crying in my room watching rom-coms on Netflix with coffee ice cream dripping down my mouth. As long as it doesn't negatively impact your health, go for it! Eating your feelings at Monty's isn't suggested (you might regret it later), and resorting to binge-eating, alcohol, and other harmful substances of course aren't smart ways to deal with your issues either. Everything is good in moderation, just not crack, meth, heroin, ecstasy or whatever else is out there, because my wrist is starting to sound like a cement mixer from attempting to list all these. Just, stay away, okay? Or admit that you have a problem and attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.
3. Learn when to take a break
I've seen my fair share of work-a-holics on campus who all have the semblance of raccoons, with bags under their eyes (they sure as hell aren't designer), and sprint on the treadmill with a textbook in their hands, which I honestly don't get because how can you actually read the book if you're constantly moving up and down? How do you people not get nauseous or dizzy doing that? Are you okay? Do you need to talk? Anyway, my point is just that y'all need to learn when to chill and find that balance between work and leisure since too much of either is not good at all. You have to work hard and play hard because you don't get many re-dos in life, so you have to make the most of it.
4. Stop putting things off for the last minute
Do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today. The sooner you get all your work out of the way, the better you will feel later on. I'm going to take a quick break and then finish this article later, okay? Remember that our procrastination meeting starts tomorrow, but it'll probably get pushed until next week.
