The Method To An Over Achiever's Madness

Have you ever wondered how certain people can be involved in a million things at once? How do people hold double majors, have e-board positions in different organizations and intern? These people used to amaze me.  I was convinced that they either didn’t sleep or weren’t fully human. It wasn’t until last semester that I learned their secret to juggling so many things at once. Last spring was my craziest semester so far;I decided to declare a double major, intern, serve on various e-boards and work two jobs. If that wasn’t enough, I dealt with an injury part way through the semester. It was then that I learned this so-called secret wasn’t much of a secret after all. It all boils down to one thing: prior planning. 

·      Look Ahead- Look ahead at the next two weeks and write everything down in a planner. What nights are you working? Which days are you interning? When are papers due? If you know you’re free this Tuesday night and you have a paper due the Friday of next week, work on it then. Working little by little on projects prevents you from pulling an all-nighter or cramming at the last minute.

·      Prep For the Next Day- Getting everything ready the night before eliminates the stress of rushing around in the morning. Pack your bag and make sure your laptop, charger and any other necessary items are in there. Lay out your clothes. If you are interning the next day, pack your lunch. That way, you can use your lunch break to do homework instead of running out for food. (Side-note: Packing a nutritious lunch is also beneficial. Fruits and veggies give you that extra boost of energy whereas heavy carbs tend to make you feel tired and worn down).

·      Remember Sunday Morning- Everyone dreads the anxiety that comes when Sunday rolls around and you realize that you not only have to go back to school, but that you also achieved NOTHING over the weekend. It is understandable that by the time Friday afternoon hits, you are probably exhausted and ready to have fun. But don’t wait until Sunday to start your weekend work. Set aside an hour or so on Friday afternoon to get any busy work out of the way. It’s okay to go out Friday night and relax Saturday afternoon as long as you don’t let the whole day go to waste. Use that Saturday afternoon to work on a paper or knock out any assigned readings. By the time Sunday morning rolls around, you will not feel as stressed or rushed to get things done. Plus you can enjoy going out on the weekends without having work hanging over your head!

Setting aside time to plan out your day may not seem like the most exciting thing to do, but the pay off is huge. Find a planning method that works for you and stick with it. What are your tips for juggling multiple responsibilities?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Lauren Bentley.