How to Survive College Without Major Burnout

University Short Cuts

11 minutes ago

7 min read

Summary of Post!

College burnout often comes from assignments, exams, and activities piling up at the same time.
Taking real breaks and protecting downtime can help you avoid running on empty.
A realistic schedule works best when it matches your busiest and least busy days.
Reducing distractions, using small resets, and staying hydrated can make it easier to stay on task.
Getting ahead in class when possible lowers stress and gives you more room to breathe.

Why College Burnout Builds Up Fast

Burnout in college can be pretty common, often because of the cyclical nature of classes and club activities. College classes start around the same time and end around the same time, so as the semester progresses, your exams and projects tend to pile up in the same week, give or take a week or two. Personally, I have had this happen in the middle of the semester, and it almost felt like finals week.

Why Time Management Matters

When I was in high school, one of my teachers said that part of college was overloading you with assignments and tasks in order to help you build time management skills. I would agree with that, and I probably should have seen the foreshadowing in what his high school and college-credit classes were going to be like.

The Main Question: How Do You Avoid Burnout?

The question is, how do we manage these external tasks and stressors so that we don’t burn out? Well, I am going to break down some tips and tricks I learned from my time in college studying engineering that helped me manage burnout. (I wish I had known this when I was taking that high school class for college credit.)

Take the Breaks College Gives You

First of all, college does give you a lot of time off in the middle of the semester, whether it’s federal and state holidays or breaks like Spring Break. Regardless of the break, they all give you some time off, and you should take it. If you don’t think you have time to fully rest during breaks, or you need to work to make more money, maybe try to schedule that work so that in the evenings, you can just relax.

Downtime is Not Wasted Time

When you are busy, a lot of times the first things that get cut out of your life are sleep and time spent relaxing. It is pretty logical to turn your downtime into productivity time in order to get more done in a day. You can only do that for so long before it starts to drain you. Eventually, you will not be as sharp as you were the day before, and you will not have much willpower left. I have experienced this myself in college and, of course, in the workforce. In summary, do what you can to find some downtime during your breaks. Otherwise, that time will be even more limited when you get back to college.

Build a Schedule You Can Actually Follow

Now that we have covered relaxing during breaks, how do we schedule it into day-to-day activities, classes, studying, and events? Well, make a daily schedule and stick to it. That statement is not very helpful because it reduces the message to the simplest terms. We need to know how to make a schedule you can actually stick to.

Plan Around Your Real-Life Routine

How do we do this? First, I like to think about what your average day looks like. Then I start listing the activities that happen on an average day. Once there is an outline for that average day, we need to do the same thing for your busiest and least busy days. This helps you add some depth to what you are trying to plan. If you only think about your average day, your busy day will simply overrun your plan.

Use Your Slow Days to Recover

Next, let’s think about where your busy days and your least busy days usually land. For me, my busiest days were usually Monday and Tuesday, while my least busy day was usually Sunday when I was in college. Knowing this, I might schedule relaxing time on Sunday afternoons and then sprinkle in some evenings of relaxation on Wednesday or Thursday, since that breaks up the week a little.

Cut Distractions on Your Busiest Days

Since my busiest days are Monday and Tuesday, I am willing to give up my relaxation time on those days to get work done. Remember, there is another part to this: stick to the schedule. During your busy days, you need to stay on task by using some tricks I picked up in college. First, study in places where you do not normally study so you do not fall into the same old habits. Leave your phone somewhere that makes you work to get to it. Use noise-canceling headphones to keep your brain thinking clearly, even if you are in a loud space. Put your Word document in Focus mode. Turn off email notifications on your computer. You can actually schedule that in your computer settings if you want. Make a to-do list and check it every hour or so to stay on schedule. Only keep open the items you need for studying so you do not get distracted. If you like caffeine, have your drink of choice with you already. Avoid getting pulled into small talk if you actually want to get work done.

Getting Back on Track Matters Most

As you can see, many of the things I mentioned are simply ways to reduce distractions. Obviously, even with these tips, you will still get off task and off schedule. That is alright—it happens—but the key is how you get back on task. Sometimes during the day, which is easier than at other times because there are hard resets that help. One example is having to go to class. You really do have to stop what you are doing and go to class. Then, once class is done, you have the opportunity to get back into whatever you were working on before instead of trying to force yourself back on task from the same spot.

Use Small Resets to Refocus

A mini hard reset can be checking your to-do list. That is why I like to time it. It may give you a bit of a reality check and the motivation to get back to what you should be doing. Unfortunately, checking your to-do list is not as naturally built in as the need to go to your scheduled class, so you will need to build a habit around it. A better example of a naturally occurring hard reset is simply going to the bathroom. But do not bring your phone with you. You want to keep it as boring as possible. At least, that is what I found worked best when I wanted to be most productive. Once I left the restroom, I would get right back on task. It could go like this: go to the restroom, check your to-do list, then do the next task.

Hydration Helps More Than You Think

Doing what you need to do when you should do it can help keep you from dragging out tasks and adding to burnout. Since we were on the topic of restrooms, staying hydrated can help create more hard resets in your day. It should help you in the gym and in the classroom. I know that when I get dehydrated, it becomes harder to think, and I feel more tired too. When you are trying to get things done effectively so you can have more time on the back end, anything helps. So, keep that in mind throughout the day.

Make Studying a Little Better

My last tip is to set the mood while studying. This can make studying so much more enjoyable. Whether it is an evening in the library with rain falling outside, or the sound of "Purple Rain" playing in the background in your dorm room, or some blues playing in your headphones at the student union—those are all examples I have positive memories associated with. I should note that you may not be quite as effective with your work or studies, but it is a vibe worth chasing. It does not always have to be painful to study and do homework. Unbelievably, it can be fun if you set the mood right when you sit down to work.

Getting Ahead Lowers the Pressure

Finally, if you can get ahead in your classes, it helps with burnout because it gives you more opportunities to relax. Now, doing this is a luxury in college, but if you can get ahead in your classes, do it. Your future self will thank you. Everything feels like much lower stakes when you have adequate time.

Final Takeaway

In conclusion, college can burn you out, but how you manage your time can help reduce its effects. Taking time off, using distraction-reducing measures, and staying hydrated can all help lower the likelihood of burnout. Remember to make time for rest and enjoy your time in college. Lastly, if you enjoyed my blog post, you may enjoy my other blog posts, and please consider joining my email list. This is where you can stay up to date on my latest blog post and other happenings with University Short Cuts. Happy Studies!

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