It’s that time in the semester. If you weren’t burned out already, you most likely are now. Chances are you have experienced a little taste of warm weather and the beauty that your campus brings in the Spring and now you are feeling especially ready for a real break. But you have classes and papers and projects and finals standing in your way.
We get to the point of burnout when we have too much on our plate over an extended period of time. Usually, we just power through and don’t take the best care of ourselves during these seasons — not enough sleep, too much caffeine, maybe too much playing hard to celebrate + relax after working hard.
And we experience overwhelm when we look ahead to all we have to do and it just feels like too much. All those classes and papers and projects and finals. And lack of motivation to get them all done. So what do we do when we have a long to-do list and not a lot of excitement to tackle it?
We simplify.
Yes, this is a blog about simplifying your college life, so of course that’s the answer. But hear me out. When we make the big things more manageable, our overwhelm starts to dissipate. When we take one step at a time, we can start moving forward. When we get rid of the things that we don’t need to focus on, the things we do need to focus on become more clear. And this is especially true during our busiest times.
Every bit of progress is progress, no matter how insignificant it seems.
Write it All Down
So what are the big things you need to accomplish in these last few weeks of classes and finals? Write all those down. Your commitments for classes and work and your student orgs. Write down all the other big things you’re looking forward to. Formals and gatherings with friends and end of the year events that you can’t imagine missing.
Eliminate What You Can
Once you’ve written all the important things down, compare this list to your schedule and calendar. What can you cross off right away? What just seems like clutter in your schedule compared to your list of big things? Take it off your schedule for these next few weeks. (You can figure out if you want it to return to your schedule at a later time.)
Eliminate any unnecessary time wasters like scrolling on your phone or meetings for orgs you aren’t invested in right now. Maybe you had plans to travel to a friends campus for a big end of the year party, but that just feels like too much looking at all the other things you have to do. Call and explain why you can’t come after all. Chances are, your friend will feel just as relieved to have that weekend back in their schedule as well.
Schedule in Simplicity
After you have eliminated all that you won’t be doing the next few weeks, schedule in some time for simplicity. 10 minutes each morning to sit in silence and think about the day ahead. Time for walks or yoga or a class at the gym. A few minutes at the end of the day to tidy up your space and help you prepare for tomorrow. Early bed times. Here are some ideas of ways to start and end your days. Whatever you need to help you feel like the best version of yourself. What fills you up? Do that.
Just Start
Once you’ve done this exercise, just start. Take one step at a time. You can’t accomplish the entire project today, but you can start it. You can’t know everything for your final, but you can review a week’s worth of material in a few hours. Every bit of progress is progress, no matter how insignificant it seems. If you need some extra motivation about small changes over time, read this.
Burnout and overwhelm are inevitable in a college schedule, especially this time in the year, but these little steps can go a long way in helping you thrive through these last few weeks of the semester! Feel free to reach out for any help at hello@simplycollege.org!
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