This semester started out fine. I was keeping up with my work and managing all of my time well. But slowly, I started to get more tired, less motivated, and less productive. All of my work has caught up with me, and the last several weeks have been very busy for me.

Busyness isn’t always bad, but sometimes it can be extremely bad. You may or may not be familiar with the acronym B.U.S.Y. - Being Under Satan’s Yoke. If we let our busyness get the better of us, we aren’t living up to our full potential in Christ which is what the acronym reminds us. We must be in control of our busyness, not the other way around. Here are a few ways you can take control of your busy schedule:

1. Take time for yourself.

If you’re getting so run down that you can’t even finish an assignment, you need to take a break. This isn’t an option. Take some time to do something you enjoy, even if that means only sitting quietly for 10 minutes. Keep checking in with yourself to see how you’re actually doing instead of just pretending to always be okay.

2. Figure out your priorities.

Which class assignment is the most important? Which one do I care about the most? Which is more important: sleep or my quiet time with God? These kind of questions will help you figure out what is a priority in your life, and what things can be cut out or put aside until later. Figuring out priorities can save you time and frustration.

3. Make a schedule and stick to it.

Maybe this is just for the Type A folks, but I find this to be an extremely useful method to keep my busyness in check. Create a schedule for when you will do your homework. But even more importantly, schedule in a rest time AND sleep time. This method keeps you productive but also keeps you from losing your mind.

4. Cut out distractions.

Namely: social media. This is something that I’ve challenged myself with over the last few weeks. I don’t allow myself to stay on social media for longer than 20 minutes. Believe it or not, some days I haven’t even gotten onto social media at all! This keeps me from wasting my time on something that doesn’t matter.

5. Focus on today.

I really like to plan ahead, and I’m sure I’m not alone there. But when my schedule gets really crazy, it’s not helpful to try to plan out next week. Sometimes it’s even too difficult to plan out tomorrow. We must be able to learn to pray, “Lord, give me my DAILY bread” instead of asking Him for our weekly or monthly bread. Take it one day at a time.