By Staff Writer Trevon Dowling
Following midterms, it’s all too common for college students to feel intense levels of burnout from a heavy workload and tight deadlines. Fortunately, there are a number of things one can do to mitigate these effects and even avoid burnout altogether.
One habit which can be absolutely essential is keeping an itinerary. Assigning a set number of tasks to each day of the week can help to declutter your schedule. If you’d like to guarantee that you’ll have enough time for work, errands, hobbies or leisure, you might even assign times of day for specific tasks. Some people find that the least stressful method is to get everything important done early in the day, but it might be different for you depending on your workload and sleep habits. Experiment and see what works best for you, then stick with it.
Most phones have a calendar app which can organize a basic schedule, but it may help some people to have a paper notepad instead. If you’d like the benefits of both, you might look into Rocketbook, a reusable notebook with an erasable pen, which allows you to easily upload all your notes and sketches into the cloud for later use. This combines the creative potential of a pen and paper with the easy access and practicality of the cloud.
One of the biggest contributors to burnout is procrastination. Voluntarily waiting until the last minute to get things done often causes subconscious stress in the lead-up to the task, and compounds feelings of stress. This can cause a vicious cycle of sprinting to the finish line, becoming mentally exhausted from the massive effort, and then putting off your next project as long as possible out of anxiety and dread.
The first step to breaking out of this cycle is recognizing that delaying the inevitable leads to a longer bout of stress and a much harder task in the end. Getting it done earlier rather than later means that you will be rewarded with time to unwind when you might have been scrambling. A minute of relaxation is worth much more than a minute filled with stress, but it has to be earned first.
As for writing papers and other large projects, some people thrive in the rush of a last-minute panic, but this is an impractical mindset which encourages mistakes and stress. It’s best to start working on projects well ahead of time, gathering your resources and breaking up the project into manageable chunks. If you find that you’ve got some momentum going and you’re blazing through an entire project in one session, it’s okay to make an exception, but you should not feel discouraged if you really do need a break or another obligation comes up.
Try to avoid distractions while working. As painful as it might be, put your phone away and silence it if necessary. If you’ve got games littering your desktop, remove them for the time being. Make sure your workspace is clear before you sit down to work.
Music can be helpful for many people in maintaining the “rhythm” of an efficient workflow, but some music might not be suitable. Listening to new and unfamiliar music is discouraged, as your curiosity is likely to get the better of you, leading you to focus on the song rather than your work. If you are working on an assignment that requires you to write, you might avoid music with lyrics so that the words don’t get jumbled up in your head.
Once an assignment is done and submitted, try not to think of it as a chore you’ve done, or one hurdle among many. Think of it as a success and celebrate your accomplishment however you can. This is a much more encouraging mindset and can stifle burnout at the source.
Lastly, if you’re really struggling to find structure in your schedule, it may be necessary to compartmentalize the stressful elements of it for the sake of your mental and emotional health. Leave your school at school, and your work at work, as much as possible. Whether you have obligations to attend to or not, take time to take care of yourself. Don’t neglect your interests, hobbies, health and friendships, in the name of your schoolwork.
If you’re struggling to fit in everything you need for a fulfilling college experience or things are just getting too chaotic, remember that college comes with a built-in support network. Reach out for assistance and guidance from teachers, faculty, classmates and friends if you need to. You are not alone in your education, nor in your life outside of it, and there is no shame in asking for help.
Overall, the most effective counter to burnout is identifying it, finding the source, and acting to change it. Burnout can come from many sources, and getting rid of it takes willful effort, but it can be done. Hopefully, some of this advice can help you in the following weeks and beyond.