As a college student, I understand the struggle of having to balance your school work with your social life, work life, extracurricular, etc. Here area compilation of tips that may alleviate some of that stress.

1. Prioritize your work load. Gather all the assignments you need to complete and prioritize which ones need to be done first based on the due dates. Not everything needs to be immediately done. It is better to focus on what tasks you know are going to be due next week or which one’s you know will contain numerous parts to complete.

2. Make a checklist and reward yourself. Making a list of what you need to complete for the day can be extremely helpful. It will keep you on track throughout the day and will ensure that you have something to do. This way you won’t wander off to another task that isn’t your priority. After you complete your checklist, it is important to reward yourself. This is a great time to balance your social life. You can set up a lunch date with your friend the day before and add it to your checklist.

3. Use a planner. Having somewhere to write down when you work, when you have an exam, when something is due, what day you have a concert/birthday dinner, etc. is nice to have because you get an overview of what is happening that week. Visualizing your week allows you to manage what needs to be done, instead of having everything mumbled up in your head and forgetting when events are. If you have a planner you can personalize it so that you hang out with a friend when you do not have an exam the next day, or go to the gym when you do not have work.

4. Take care of your self. Sometimes balancing all aspects of your life can be difficult and we forget to listen to our bodies. If you are stressing out, make sure you try to relax. Always get sleep because without it our bodies do not function properly. Sleeping less does and getting more things done will not work. Without sleep and a functioning body we won’t be able to use time management skills to properly complete all our tasks and your body could start to response negatively.

Remember that college students are not superheros and do not need to be perfect. If you cannot handle working everyday, a minimal change, such as switching your schedule so that you work one day less, can be helpful. If an assignment is overwhelming you, ask for help. Professors are always there to help. Make sure to start prioritizing and you can start balancing your task more efficiently.