As you get further into the semester, it can be challenging to allocate your time among deadlines for different classes. Between midterms, papers, group projects, assignments, readings, etc., how are you supposed to keep up with it all? Try some of these strategies and watch your stress levels go way down!
Plan ahead
It’s OK if you didn’t start the semester off with all your deadlines scheduled. Make a plan from now until your final exams/assignments. Go through each of your courses and write each deadline in a planner or calendar along with how much of your grade they’re worth. Being able to look at the big picture helps you be able to plan time in advance, rather than realizing last-minute that you have a paper worth 20% of your grade due next week.
Use your syllabi
On a similar note, consider how long each assignment, exam prep, and paper will take you to complete when allocating your time. Read the instructions for each deadline as this will help you figure out how much time it will take. For example, you’ll want to start working on a 10-page paper a few weeks in advance, while a shorter assignment can likely be started closer to the deadline.
You should also consider what percentage of your grade each deadline is worth. Don’t waste hours on a discussion post worth 5% when you have an exam worth 40% during the same week, because it requires days' worth of studying. Use these percentages as a time guide while considering what you read in the professor’s intructions.
Create a study schedule
After reading through your syllabi, make a schedule for the upcoming week(s). Write in specific times when you’ll work on an assignment or study for an exam. Let’s say you have a paper worth 25% due in three weeks. I would schedule multiple 1–2-hour sessions between now and the due date. For a short 5% pre-lab assignment due this week, I would spend maybe 2 hours a few days before it’s due. For midterms or exams, which are usually worth a good chunk of your grade, my rule of thumb is to start studying two weeks in advance.
Spreading out the time to work on everything in advance of the due date really helps lower stress when the date approaches, since you’ll have a solid start by then.
Use your resources
Another great reason to look at the professor’s guidelines early is to make sure you understand what is asked of you. If you have this extra time, you can reach out to many different resources to help you. For example, you might not know what citation style to use after reading the guidelines. This would be a question for your professor or TA, as this can vary between classes. Maybe you don’t know where to start with structuring your paper. Make an appointment with the Writing Centre! Do this well in advance of your deadlines to ensure you can get in.
Listen to your body
Another crucial consideration when trying to balance many deadlines is to be kind to yourself. Don’t push through study sessions when you feel unproductive. Take a break when you feel this way and even schedule them into your study sessions if that’s helpful! For example, take a quick walk after you’ve completed something on your to-do list. Just because you have time to be studying at a given moment doesn’t mean that’s the best use of your time. Schedule time for your hobbies in addition to the deadlines. Studying all the time can consume you and backfire!
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