Whew! Being a student is stressful.
Whether you’re an online high schooler trying to get that college application ready, an undergraduate student working multiple jobs, or a BGS student pursuing a degree on top of family and work, education isn’t for the casual. Academic success brings with it long study sessions, hours in the TA lab, and razorblade-precise scheduling.
It can all feel a bit . . . overwhelming.
Luckily, there are tools and strategies that can keep the despair from setting in and help you crush your goals. Let’s hear from a few BYU Continuing Education students about how they manage to ride the wave instead of getting sucked under.
Resources
Spencer Parker, a student employee at BYU Continuing Education, has spent a lot of time dialing in his strategies for success. He employs a wide range of techniques to stay on top of his responsibilities and excel in his pursuits. “When I start a new unit, I like to check and see if the resources for the exam have been published,” Spencer remarks. “I create a list of the key concepts that we will be covering.” This approach gives Spencer the upper hand; he has an overview of what concepts are critical to master.
If those resources aren’t available, Spencer creates his own study guide based on the material he has. By taking the long view and thinking ahead, Spencer’s able to gear his every effort towards what matters most. When the exams come around, he’s ready!
“An often-overlooked resource is old editions of textbooks,” Spencer says. Textbooks from a year or two back cover the same material in different ways. They contain a different set of practice problems and examples, which can help supplement and augment current resources. By expanding his pool beyond one textbook, Spencer’s been able to get multiple perspectives on otherwise-tricky content.
Planning
Great. Now that we have the resources under control, how do we go about organizing it all?
Task-based oversight has also been a big help to Vernusan Mahendran, a Management and Economics major. He likes to write down all his to-dos, or everything in his mind that needs to get done. He’ll prioritize and rank them based on importance. This allows him to assign 3–4 tasks to each day of the week, making it all that much more doable.
Some students will also color-code their classes. This gives an at-a-glance understanding of what subject a meeting, lab, or assignment belongs to. Color-coding can also give your academic materials a clean, satisfying aesthetic—it’s a win-win!
Madison Cummings, another BYU Continuing Education student employee, likes to break things down. “Have a big project due at the end of the week? Sit down and list all the individual steps involved, then schedule one or two per day,” she says. The terrifying ten-page paper that’s been hanging over your head for months? Well, there are seven days in a week: start by writing an outline, come back the next day to get a few paragraphs down, etc. This makes projects of any size totally doable.
“This approach also helps with school- or project-induced anxiety—writing one paragraph a day feels much more doable than cranking out an entire three-page paper the night before it's due,” Madison remarks. This strategy doesn’t just apply to essays. Feeling daunted? Break it down!
Motivation
Sure, planning is great, but what if you just lack the motivation? Sometimes it’s so hard to start!
“Almost every time I get started on something I’m not looking forward to, it turns out to be easier than I feared. Overcoming that initial sense of dread is the hardest part,” Spencer says. If he’s having trouble taking that first step, then he’ll start some other task. Doing laundry or taking out the garbage let him generate some momentum and feel effective.
Another popular tip is called the Pomodoro Technique. It's simple: when that dread sets in, set a twenty-minute timer. For twenty minutes, focus on the assignment; when the fifteen minutes is up, give yourself a five-minute break. By repeating this cycle, you’ll be able to balance laser-focused productivity and time to rest.
Another motivation trick Parker likes is called “body doubling.” Yes, it sounds like something out of a Christopher Nolan movie. No, it doesn’t involve shifting your consciousness to another body. It’s basically an accountability partner. By asking a friend or loved one to sit next to him as he works, whether they’re doing homework of their own or not, Parker is able to get in the zone and get the work done. Having someone by your side gives you a sense of support that you don’t get alone in a corner of the library!
After all is said and done, the occasional wrench gets caught in life’s gears. For Madison, having grace with yourself is crucial. Professors get it. Make a plan. Don’t be afraid to ask for an extension. Use the resources BYU provides!
By applying tips like these, you can take daunting challenges and break them into manageable chunks. Suddenly, that giant, vertical cliff you’ve been staring at, wondering how to get up, has a conveniently-placed staircase carved into it. It will take some effort, but it’s more than doable!
You got this.
