We've all been there - an out of control schedule, lots to do and little time, a stressed out student. What is the best way to move forward here?
Make a to-do list
Getting what you need to do onto the page out of your head is incredibly useful and will help ensure that you don't forget about anything. I like to keep things organized by categorizing things by class or by category such as academics, social, personal, etc. In my to-do lists, I also like to create a rough estimate for how long I think something will take.
Identify the most important tasks
Next, go through your list and try to identify what the most important tasks are. These are usually things that are either most important for you or most crucial for your future success. These might also be items on your list that have an “incubation time” where you know you’ll have to wake for a period for an algorithm to run or for a classmate to get feedback to you on it. Often, those things are good to prioritize so that you can productively have something brewing in the background while you are working on other things. Of course, when life is truly hectic, you might just prioritize things based on what is due first or most urgent. While this approach works in the short run, it's important not to over-prioritize what's urgent versus what is most important in your life. To strike a balance, I like to think about what absolutely must be done on that day, and then, in the remaining space available, time-wise and energy-wise, I also add the most important items to start chipping away at.
Google calendar is your friend
Once I have a list of things to do and a rough ordering in which to do them, I like to start scheduling when to actually do everything on my calendar. Developing a sense for how long things will take you is an incredibly useful skill. Personally, I find that knowing that I have a time set aside to work on something in Google calendar allows it not to occupy my mind space when I'm trying to get other things done.
Prioritize your health
When stressed with a busy schedule, it can be tempting to cut back on sleep or skip exercising in order to make more time for other things, but you have to remember that the most important component of all that you do is yourself. It's essential to take care of your own health and wellbeing, especially during times of stress. Make it a priority to get good sleep, get some movement, and do things that help you destress, like hanging out with friends, going on a walk, or yoga! You’ll often find yourself more productive on the other side. To have the room to do these things, I like to set aside a little buffer time in my day. This way I know I have wiggle room if things take longer than expected or if I just need a little break.
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