It's that time of year again when many of us go back to school, and our lives get about 10 times busier than they were before. The long, laid-back summer days are now becoming days of the past. This doesn't have to be something to fear, though; now you can embrace it with better organization, time management, and good health!

My first and most useful tip would be to get yourself a planner or make use of your phone calendar. The best way to improve your time management and lower your stress levels is to start with scheduling literally everything. Use that planner to set goals for yourself and cross things off each day, instead of having a long to-do list for weeks. That long list tends to get extremely overwhelming, and it's more likely to increase your stress levels. Breaking your to-do list down into small chunks of time allows you to take things one step at a time. Therefore, you can write down every little event in your planner to give you a great idea of when you can take time for yourself.

This brings me to my next tip: make sure you always make time for yourself to relax and recharge without technology or interruptions. Get a cup of tea and read a book you've been interested in or do a little bit of yoga. Just relax with whatever makes you happy. It's much better to start a paper that's due or make a gift for someone when you have had time to be bored and get inspired with your own thoughts. These small steps prioritize your time while helping to make your life more efficient and organized for you to conquer whatever you put your mind towards.

When you're taking on classes, work, Greek life, etc., one of the best things you can do for yourself is to only take on as much as you can handle. Knowing when to say no to a random night on the town or an extra shift at work is crucial to your success if it is too much for you to handle at the moment. That's when that planner comes in handy, though! Schedule it in for another night when you have less on your plate. It will save you so much time and energy in the long run. College is a time to find yourself and experience new things, but by all means, you do not have to do everything at once. However, if you do happen to take on too much, you cannot be afraid to ask for help.The people you have in your life should want to see you succeed, so you should be able to ask at least one person for help. In the end, you just have to stay positive because things usually seem to work out how they are supposed to, whether you like the outcome or not. When one door closes, another window opens; there will always be more opportunities for you if you want them badly enough to work towards them.

You can't be 100 percent organized and great at managing your time with these tools without taking care of yourself. This means making sure you get an adequate eight hours of sleep each night. Getting your eight hours also helps slow aging, clear skin, and decrease your appetite, so why not do it? It's important to have a healthy diet, as well. If your body is not getting the nutrients it needs, you will continue to crave food and have less energy until your body gets a healthy meal. The Freshman 15 is no a myth, so you will probably end up regretting all that junk food, anyway. Have a healthy, balanced diet, and maybe utilize your campus gym, too! You will not regret taking care of yourself once you get in the habit of it.

Now that you have all the tools you need to succeed, go out and take charge of your busy life! You shouldn't have to be exhausted and hate everything because the semester is in session. Freaking out about everything you have to do just makes you backtrack and not be able to get anything done at all. Take care of yourself and enjoy all of those fun events with a brand new, calm and collected attitude! That's not going to happen overnight, though, so if things still start to get too stressful, remember to just breathe. Good luck with this new semester and the rest of your adventures!