College can be difficult for many reasons, and it can seem like it only gets worse each semester. Schoolwork gets harder, schedules get fuller, and motivation gets smaller. The start of a new semester can feel like just another first day of many to come—another “new beginning” that leads to a messy middle and a stressful ending. However, it doesn’t have to feel like that.

If you have a good thought process and take control of your time, you can conquer this new semester, rather than letting it run you over. Here are some reminders to help you get the most out of your semester.

1. You’re one step closer to reaching your goal.

Another semester means you’re that much closer to graduation, which means you’re that much closer to starting your awesome career. When you feel like you’re stuck in a stress-inducing routine, just remember that there is an end goal, and you’re closer to it now than you’ve ever been. So, now is not the time to give up. The only way to get there is to keep moving forward.

2. Make time instead of waiting for it.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself giving this excuse way too often: “I don’t have time.” Whether it’s to do things for fun, to get myself to church, or to eat a proper meal, sometimes it feels like, during the semester, schoolwork takes over my entire schedule, and I end up drowning in assignments. But I read somewhere that you can never find the time to do anything; you have to make time. The only way to get out of the feeling that your time is getting eaten away is to decide not to let it. Make a schedule of your time throughout the day and stick to it, or devote the time you would spend scrolling through Twitter to reading a book instead. Upholding our responsibilities is important, but so is making time for ourselves.

3. Be present.

And not just class-attendance-wise. (Although, that, too.) Be present wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whomever you’re with. When that feeling of mundane routine hits, it’s easy to get bored with the semester and where you are, and you don’t take advantage of the opportunities and the world around you like you should. If you’re like me, however, once this feeling hits, it’s not easy to go back, and you walk around with slumped shoulders and “I don’t care” stamped on your forehead. The only way I can get myself out of that feeling and be present is to make myself get excited about the little things. Venti-size your coffee just because you want to. Go to that event on campus even though you don’t want to. Take a bad picture of a sunset just because it’s pretty. Say a prayer of thanks for pretty weather and your favorite meal being served in the cafeteria. Write in your journal about everything even though you’re tired. When you’re intentional about finding things to appreciate, your whole outlook will improve.

4. Don’t be too hard on yourself.

You’re trying. You’re going to oversleep or miss an assignment or say the wrong thing or get in a misunderstanding with someone or, God forbid, all of the above, but that doesn’t discredit everything else you’re going to do. Don’t require perfection from yourself; it’s not expected from anyone. It’s so important to leave yourself space to make mistakes. Sometimes, you may have to borrow that space from the pressure you’re putting on yourself to get everything right the first time, but it’s worth it. As they say, trying and failing is more productive than not trying at all, so as long as you keep doing that, you’re on the right track.

5. A year (or semester) is what you make of it.

I know, I know, that’s cheesy. But here’s the thing: so often, we let our schedules or our schoolwork or the pressure and stress of it all take over our lives and run us over to the point we forget we’re in control here. It’s important to remind yourself of that every once in a while. So, here’s a challenge for myself and anyone else who wants to get the most out of a new semester: Be intentional about everything—your time, your thoughts, your schoolwork. But don’t be afraid to mess some of it up.

Don’t let anything else run your life this semester. Make this semester yours.