College is very difficult. There are so many things that all of us are required to do and if you are like me, you also have a bunch of things that you aren't required to do, but because you love pushing your limits you do anyways, and sometimes it ends up leaving you stressed out.

This semester, I find myself with a lot of ambition. This usually starts at the beginning of the semester and then by the middle to end of the semester I find myself wanting to skip classes or taking that extra nap when I should be studying. I have come up with a couple of ideas that I plan on implementing into my day to day life and maybe there will be something here that you can incorporate into your daily life too.

Recently, I have been glued to my planner and really using it as a way to sort out my chaotic schedule. The planner I have this year has exact times so you can schedule out your day completely. There I have classes, scheduled homework times, meetings, other responsibilities that I need to take care of, and even what time in the day I am allowing myself a break to eat. This may seem a little extreme, but a five minute trip to Starbucks to get a coffee can easily turn into a 3 hour conversation with one of your friends that you meet there.

Next, I am going to try to get ahead in any and all of my classes. There's no better feeling than being able to sleep the entire weekend when you know that all of the work that you need to get done is already completed. Actually doing the reading when it is assigned and not waiting to read it all before your exam actually helps - and leaves you more motivated to complete the coursework because you understand the material - not to mention it leaves you prepared for any out of the blue pop quizzes.

However, you need to know your limits. You don't want to be doing nonstop work and leaving no time for you to have a social life and actually experience all that college has to offer you. College definitely has changed me – and I wouldn't have grown as much as I have if I was simply focused on the academic side of things and didn't let myself take chances once in awhile.

One of the things that I tell myself when I find myself super stressed out is: think about why you are doing all of this. I have tremdously large dreams and I know that in order for me to get where I want to be I am going to have to do the very best that I can in everything. That is one reason that I am so motivated too.

There are many other different ways that you can use to stay on top of your studies, but remember that just because one technique works for me doesn't mean that it will work for you. Take some time to experiment and figure out what works best for you and what gives you the best results. Good luck!