College life can be stressful, from due dates, to ongoing projects, registration, extracurriculars, internships, and jobs. It's a juggling act preparing you for the real world while learning a career and making major decisions for what the rest of your life will look like. Sometimes I come to a standstill and don't know how to continue.

To continue toward your dreams and goals, it is important to have a plan (as all responsible adults say.)Here is a short and simple process I use that helps me to reevaluate, destress, and restart in the right direction when I get overwhelmed.

1.Sit down and focus

Usually when I begin this process, I've already gotten to the point where I don't feel like my brain can handle anything else for the day. I feel discouraged, frustrated, and hopeless. So sit down, take a breath, and relax. Focus on what is right in front of you, nothing more, and don't let your mind wander. Take a couple breaths then begin to focus on what you have to do. Write down every thing that needs to be done.

2. Plan your time to the hour

Next, you need a plan to do these things. You can plan your time to the week or day, but I like to plan to the hour. Because by this point I usually am worried about the things I have to do that week, I want to have a strict plan to get everything done on time. A super specific schedule helps me to be able to keep track of the progress of things as they happen.

Being proactive like this will help you to stay on track each hour of each day and continue on until each thing is complete!

3. Reevaluate your goals

If you're in college, you're working towards a degree. Hopefully you know what that is and are working towards what you want to do. Whether you've got a slight idea of what you want to do, or you know exactly what it is, take some time to think about it and make sure you are working toward what you really want to do.

4. Make a measurable plan

When will you graduate? Are you taking the right classes? When will you be doing ___? Can you join a related club or fraternity? What parts of your college experience do you want to change or add?

College doesn't have to be completely stressful and hard, it should also be the best years of your life! I find myself caught up with the specifics and little stressors a lot, and this is the plan I use to get myself back on track. Hopefully you can benefit from some part of it too!