When you’re in school, it can be hard to stay on top of all your obligations. Setting a consistent schedule for yourself can help you stay on track and make all that work feel more manageable. Set aside specific times each day to do your studying and homework, and stick to the schedule as closely as possible.   Setting a schedule also makes it easier to avoid procrastinating. Make sure to schedule in time for breaks and relaxation, too! It may be tempting to put off big, difficult assignments for last and do the easy ones first. However, letting the more important tasks wait will ultimately lead to panic, frustration, and missed deadlines. Look at all your assignments and decide which ones are most important or urgent and which ones you can put on the back burner for now.  Make an ordered list of all your tasks. Try to prioritize ones that are due soon, count towards a major part of your grade, or seem like they will be the most complicated to complete. Put assignments that aren’t due for a while or that you know you can finish quickly and easily at the bottom. Large or complicated assignments can feel overwhelming if you try to approach them all at once. Instead, break them down into smaller chunks and approach them one piece at a time. This will help big tasks feel much more manageable—plus, you can reward yourself for each chunk of the assignment that you complete! For example, if you’re writing a big paper, you might break it up into pieces like doing the research, composing a bibliography, writing an outline, drafting the introduction, and so on. If you a hard time staying on task and organizing your time, productivity apps can be a big help. Try downloading an app like Todoist, Hours, or Any.do to help you keep track of deadlines, create to-do lists, and monitor how much time you’re spending on each assignment. Productivity apps are helpful for some people, but they’re not for everyone. Make sure you don’t spend so much time worrying about the app that it starts to cut into your homework time!
Create a daily work and study schedule. Prioritize your assignments and do the most urgent or difficult ones first. Break your assignments down into manageable pieces. Try a productivity app to help you stay organized.