Midterm season is upon us once again! One of the many drawbacks you may face this time of year is how easy it is to overload your schedule with study sessions, classes and club meetings. Don’t worry, Student Group Services is here to help you avoid the stress and burnout of a busy schedule with these helpful tips.

Create a schedule

Have you ever been so stressed out about everything you have to do that you end up not doing any of it? It happens to the best of us! One way to avoid this is by creating a schedule to help you visualize what you should be doing every day. Whether it's a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, you will get a better grasp of when you’re busy and when to set aside time to study. This is the best way to plan around immovable tasks like classes or club meetings.

Set priorities

Sometimes the best way to organize your to-do list is by prioritizing when you need to accomplish your tasks. Start by deciding what is most important and has the fastest due date, and then decide what falls after that. The tasks at the bottom of your list should be tasks that are not urgent and also not important. These are the things you’d like to get done but can delay if needed. Your to-do list should be easy to read with visible deadlines, helping you identify which tasks must be completed promptly and to plan ahead according to future deadlines.

Avoid multitasking

You may think that multitasking is the fastest way to get things done, but that is actually far from the truth. The efficiency of multitasking is undone by the drop in quality of work that you’re producing. Even though you’re working faster you are not working better because you’re not putting your full effort into it. The time it takes between switching tasks will also cause you to lose time that you could be dedicating to school or clubs. So even though multitasking may seem helpful, it could end up costing you in the future.

Limit distractions when you need to focus

Picture this: you’re studying for an upcoming exam and get a text from a friend, and suddenly your attention is completely off your work. We’ve all been there before, and thanks to these distractions a task that requires 60 minutes of your time can take far longer to accomplish. Running into people you know in a busy space can also be a distraction when you’re trying to focus. Whenever you are working on high-priority tasks, try putting that phone on silent mode or finding a quiet space to work. You’ll end up saving a lot of time and boosting your efficiency.

Take breaks

Burnout is real and can hit hard during midterms and finals! The best way to avoid it is by setting aside some time for yourself, where you aren't thinking about school or student groups. Whether it's sleeping in one morning, or going on a walk to change your environment, doing things that aren’t associated with school and clubs will help you feel energized when it’s time to get back to work.

Join an academic student group

Adding something else to your schedule might sound counterintuitive, but joining one of the many faculty or department specific clubs that SGS offers can be very helpful in the long run! These groups can help you meet students who have taken or are currently in the same classes as you, and could be a great way to meet people you can learn from and study with. These groups also offer an excellent opportunity for a more relaxed forum when it’s time for that much-needed break.

Different time management strategies work best for different people, so try a few out to see what works for you. It takes time, but everyone finds the right routine eventually. From all of us at SGS, good luck this midterm season!