Three Tips on How to Alleviate Due Date Stress

Bing, Bing! Off goes your phone reminding you that you have four different class assignments due, and not one of them has been started yet. In moments like this the urge to continue to veg out and just tell ourselves we will “do the work later” is strong, but in the long run we end up  saying “man I wish I started these assignments earlier.” Trust me when I say we’ve ALL been here. Relaxing after school is a great thing, don’t get me wrong, but it won’t take long for that calmness to morph into a storm. The more you neglect those assignments, the faster time goes by, and before you know it the stress piles on. But don’t fear I’m here to help: In honor of successfully getting through the first marking period, I’m sharing three tips on how to alleviate due date stress. 

The first tip is to build upon your time management skills, and learn how to complete all your work in a timely manner. This may seem simple, but I believe it’s not always easy to improve this skill. What I can vouch for is that it’s not impossible. You want to start by prioritizing your schoolwork. Make sure that is the first thing you want to complete, and allow completing it to be a main goal. The great thing is building upon these skills is not only great for school, but life. According to Michael Tomaszewski, a career expert, time management is “a transferable skill,” and “it can be applied across all industries and positions. No matter what your job is, being good at time management will greatly improve your hireability.” Working towards having strong time management comes with several benefits. All in all, obtaining time management mastery will bring upon self-awareness, and allow you to see how intelligent you truly are. 

The next best tip is to create schedules and lists for what needs to be done. Let’s be honest for a moment, life can get busy, and that makes it difficult to find the right time to complete schoolwork. Hence the reason scheduling is so efficient. If you think you need to create an extravagant list on fancy paper, don’t fret. Personally, my lists for the week are written on a plain post-it note, and then I stick it right on my calendar. Creating a schedule will allow you to number your crucial assignments first, and then you can work your way down the list until it’s all completed. The benefits of scheduling your school assignments is another reason lists are useful. Checkify, a process management website, explains, “One of the most important reasons you should use a to-do list is that it will help you stay organized. When you write all your tasks in a list, they seem more manageable. When you’ve got a clear outline of the tasks you’ve got to do and those you’ve completed, it helps you stay focused.” Creating lists will give you clarity, and could help reduce school stress that so many students face today. 

The final tip for alleviating due date stress is to learn NOT to procrastinate. I completely understand that scrolling through TikTok, or updating your Instagram feed can be way more appealing than that study guide, or essay. But if you leave it to the last minute, the only thing that will be following you is regret. I’ve learned that the hard way. Two reliable ways to avoid procrastinating is one: eliminating distractions and two: holding yourself accountable. When you have an assignment(s) to complete, move yourself to a place where you won’t shift your focus. Studies show the biggest distraction to students today is their phones. So to fix that issue the Kids Health Organization suggests you to, “Park your devices and only check them after your work is done.” Think of it this way, your phone has no due date marked on it. It’s not going anywhere, unlike the time you have left to complete your work. At the end of the day procrastination is about your principles. It takes strong mind power to put down the phone, or tell your friends you can’t hang out, in order to finish school work. Catch yourself in the moments you’re avoiding homework, and get back on the right track. You can do it, I have faith in you. 

With everything that is going on in the world, I understand that there are days we just want to lay in bed and avoid “life” for as long as we can. You’re allowed to have those moments, don’t think for a second that your feelings aren’t validated (because they are). But at the same time, think about your future. You may not enjoy doing the work now, but when you have your dream job, whatever it is you aspire to be, you will thank yourself. At this time in our lives it can be difficult to comprehend the importance of excelling academically, but the end result is always worth the effort you put in inbetween!