Spring

So the Spring semester is almost over and I feel like I've been run over by a tank. I can't imagine I'm the only person feeling like this (and after reading numerous profile updates on Facebook, I'm dead certain of it!) How do we go about re-charging our collective juices? How do we make it through finals and the other end of year minutiae without going quietly (or quite vocally, in the case of my Theatre majors) insane?

I've always been down with organization--planning out my days as carefully as possible so that assignments don't sneak up and bite me on the ass. But this system isn't for everyone. Regimenting your daily life can seem like hell on wheels to a lot of people. Ok, I get it. So try this--Small moves, Ellie (don't recognize the quote? Look it up.) A to-do list can be your friend. Make a new one each day...and if something didn't get done the day before, carry it over to the next day! Daily lists make your work seem more bearable and they make you feel just a little bit more organized.

Once you've got this system down, try categorizing your to-do list into big stuff and small stuff. "Big stuff" might be things like: renewing your FAFSA (money is our friend), writing that English paper, or breaking up with your significant other. "Big stuff" items should be things that take up a lot of time or that will drain you emotionally/mentally/physically. "Small stuff" items might be things like: doing laundry, doing homework, taking care of that post-nasal drip. In short, things that you can either do in a small amount of time, or that you can do other things while you are doing (i.e. you can do laundry and homework at the same time).

Pay attention to everything you've got going on and make your to-do list accordingly. English paper due next week, but Math homework due tomorrow? Both should go on your to-do list...with the English paper very likely carrying over through tomorrow and the day after. If at all possible, try to get that paper done early so that you can take it to your professor for feedback (thus allowing you the opportunity to make revisions...and possibly get a higher grade!)

Right now is the best possible time to go back to something you got at the beginning of the semester...your class syllabus!

Think about it this way: the syllabus is your contract with your professor. When the professor hands you that syllabus, you are essentially agreeing to complete the work for the class--so you'd better know what's on it! Take a minute (or ten) to re-familiarize yourself with the work you still have to do for each class. Do you have a final paper due? When is it due? How long does it have to be? If this information is not on the syllabus, you'd better talk to your professor now and find out. What about a final exam? When is it (last day of class or during your school's exam days?) Will the exam be cumulative or does it only cover the most recent material for the class?

Knowing all of this information will help you feel more prepared going into the final weeks of school (after all, forewarned is forearmed). Students who feel prepared and who go into finals with all of their work completed are significantly less stressed...and conversely do better on their exams!

But the most important advice I can give you is to take time off whenever possible (another benefit of those to-do lists is that they allow you to figure out how much work you have to do...and when you can take time off!) You need to give yourself some "mental health" days to de-stress and have fun with your friends. If you can't afford to go out to clubs, go for a drive--just get away from the campus for a while. Take lots of pictures! A lot of you will be returning home for the summer, and you won't get to see each other for several months...so take this time while you have it!