I tend to always put a lot of stuff on my plate. It is something I am working on, but I do often have trouble saying no to a task, call or plans. I think it is from the fear of missing out otherwise known as FOMO. You only live once and I do not like missing out on things or opportunities. This mindset has certainly led to some amazing memories but also a ton of pressure with time constraints. This pressure has helped shape my time management skills where I have learned that I thrive with structure. There are many different ways I ensure that everything gets completed and this will be an overview of it.

First off, I rarely actually do work in the library. I find that the comfort of my own room is where I am the most productive. This has been the case for all my academic years and if it’s not broken don’t fix it. Part of the environmental success stems from another part of my studying and work strategy. 

Balance of the mind is always essential. A continuous stream of work for hours on end is not healthy for the brain and will lead to burnout and a reduction in productivity. When I have a ton of my plate to do, I counteract this through scheduled breaks to scroll or relax. My phone is never near me when I’m doing work. Even one check can lead to a 15-minute detour. With that being said, the scheduled breaks allow me to heal my brain and catch up on anything I missed on my device given I do not check it for the time period of full attention to my work.

My strategy is to split up my work into intervals. For example, if I need to do a few small tasks, study for an exam and write a paper. I will usually start with the studying given it takes multiple rounds of studying to fully understand the material. My brain is also the “freshest” at the start. Given this I would go through a Quizlet, slides or notes one full time. This can usually span to an hour or an hour and a half. After that I would lay down and scroll for 15 minutes to ease my brain. Now even though that was a longer session, I can still complete the less time-consuming smaller tasks. These will not put much stress on my brain. I then take another 15-minute break and by then my brain is ready to get working again. This is when I would sit down and write the paper all in one sitting.

I definitely know this specific strategy may not work for everyone, but I am sure some aspects at a minimum can be useful. Having a ton of tasks to do can be stressful but being able to plan out studying sessions and focusing on minimizing brain stress levels can certainly lead to productivity. Especially with an ever-revolving door of tasks to do during the academic year, some days may even have more to do than others and the sessions and breaks may last half a day or longer to get everything down.

The last thing that helps me greatly is mint gum. I am honestly not sure why this helps so much but once I start chewing on gum, I am able to instantly gain full focus on the task at hand. I am actually chewing gum right now while writing this. Psychologically I think it helps the brain from wandering, given it must focus at least a bit on chewing the gum. With people’s attention spans getting shorter and shorter this can help people stay locked in.

All in all, this is what works well for me under the pressure of an extensive workload while helping me balance and keep stress levels at a minimum. I do not see myself changing this strategy much in the future as it has been crafted over many years of academics. I recommend everyone should craft one as burnout is certainly a real thing.