Overwhelmed with work!

I'm in my final year and the amount of work I have is daunting....and it's only the 3rd week. I'm trying to get into a routine but when I sit down to do something I begin stressing about all the other bits of work I should be/ have to be doing. Does anyone have any tips to cope, organise myself, structure a good schedule? Because I don't want to just only be doing work I want to enjoy my last year living with friends etc

--

Hey @lavenderField2645.

I'm assuming (like most schools) the final year can probably be daunting, and maybe even somewhat exhausting since

you could be maybe catching up on missing credits you needed to earn, or things like that. Being a student myself, I can relate to you completely.

Some personal tips that I would recommend are:

-If you have like six assignments in one night, and if your school does block scheduling (you might have to look up what that is) do two or three of them one night, and the other three the next night. It'll be hard to get all six of them done all in one night when you factor in having to rest, eat, and everything else.

-Use Google Calendar or a planner to map our your day. Include things like when you want to sleep when you want to brush your teeth so you can plan how to work schoolwork into your day to day life in a healthy, consistent manner.

-Go get tutoring. I know you've probably heard it time to time, but if you're struggling with something, it'll be hard to do it on your own. When you go to tutoring not only will you get your work done without being easily distracted, you'll be able to get one on one help from your instructor, or teacher in a more quiet environment. If you can't go to tutoring - e-mail a teacher and get help over e-mail. I do this a lot of times with my hectic schedule. :)

-Try some breathing exercises. I know this kinda sounds ridiculous, but if you're consistently worrying about homework, exams, and all of that - your mind will never be able to focus on your homework, or whatever you're studying and you won't do so good on it, or study as good. Breathing can help you worry less, and focus more.

I know it's long, but hopefully, some of this information helps. And trust me - I know they all sound basic, but these basic tips can really help (but they may vary from individual to individual, so). I hope all goes well. If only I could magically help you get your homework done, I would lol.

@lavenderField2645

I completely understand your troubles! Balancing school life and work can become the most stressful and overwhelming period of time, but you can alleviate this stress.

Here are some tips to balance your work and school life:

1. Talk to your boss about flexible work times. It is a good idea to find a schedule that fits your needs.

2. Develop a plan. Figure out how many hours you need to work, and then fit in your school work, social life and relaxation / self-care. A good plan is always best when you are suffering.

Self-care is very important as a student and as an employee, so considering reading this thread. CLICK HERE. Here you can find better ways to maintain your mental and physical health.

3. Focus on how you can be flexible with your studies as well. Find out if your study location has night/weekend classes to get more time in, or extra library hours so you can get hours in when you normally wouldnt be able to.
You want to have a social life and extra time on your hands, so you may need to develop some effective time management techniques. I have created this thread also, and it would be a good read. CLICK HERE.

4. Schedule what you need to work on in your life. This is everything. Like cleaning, studying, working, exercise, etc. Make a plan somewhere that you can read daily to keep up to date with your accomplishments.
it is also a good idea to take a step back on focus on happiness as a student CLICK HERE to find a thread regarding accomplishments, and journaling how to make accomplishments later on.

Here are some exam tips. CLICK HERE.

Another thread about exam tips. CLICK HERE.

5. Work smart, not too much. A lot of the time, students cant study when they have a job because they dont know how to study effectively. CLICK HERE to find some good progressive techniques, and how qualitative study overpowers quantitative study techniques.

6. Avoid things that will distract you, time wasters and things that will ruin your planned schedule (unless absolutely necessary).

7. Manage how much stress you carry. Try to reduce stress. CLICK HERE for a thread, and click the links below to access stress relieving websites.
WebMD
Student Life – Stress Relief

8. Prioritize. Decide on your priorities and accept that something, somewhere, will have to give—and not just the housecleaning. Expect to take a pass on the occasional outing or weekend away. With so much on your plate, you cant do everything. Do all of the most important tasks first, and slowly do the easier tasks throughout the day/week.

9. Make sure you dont overwork yourself. Take breaks, keep yourself calm and practice relaxation for the body and mind. Make sure you dont become irritable and agitated, this will mean you are unable to concentrate. These are very clear warning signs. Try not to drink excessive amounts of caffeine to avoid this.

10. Watch for signs of burn-out. If your job performance or academic results begins to flag, take action. Falling asleep in class, drinking excessive amounts of caffeine, losing interest in your job or studies or becoming irritable and unable to concentrate are important warning signs.

11. Keep in mind that you are doing what you love, and you are asking this because you want to tackle it. You have good reasons for this, so embrace where you are now and gradually try to improve. Your situation might not be fixed immediately, keep being patient over time and you will find out how to balance social life, work life, and school life together.

Good luck with your studies and work! If you need personal help, please dont hesitate to message me.

@openhope @EspressoGuy @eeveeon

These are really useful tips and techniques that you shared here, thank you so much for doing this. You all are awesome