Student Blog: Staying Organized and Positive When the Work Feels Too Much

As a college student currently in the midst of finals, I understand the pain of doing loads of school work and trying to organize for the end of the semester while being exhausted by an entire year's worth of hard work. And as a theater student, I understand doing all that while managing productions, auditions, applications, and finding future opportunities. Even though I love what I do, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and simply not want to do anything at all. I know so many people that struggle with burnout as the year comes to an end; but I find that it’s especially dangerous for those of us working on productions or personal projects. It’s really easy to get wrapped up in something you’re passionate about and forget that there’s other work to do and things that matter outside of that one focus. So, having just completed multiple productions and passion projects in the midst of finals, I've found some specific tools to help avoid the looming dread that is burnout at the end of the year. 

Remember why you do what you do

Often, when I’m burnt out or overwhelmed, I start to just hate everything that I’m doing because it all feels like a burden or too much. But really I do love it, that’s why I'm here at all. So when this feeling creeps up, remember that you love this. Theater, art, whatever your specialty is, it’s something that you care about and (in theory) want to be doing. That’s why you do it. I like to think about what I’m trying to accomplish, and how what I’m doing will help to get me there. It helps to put everything in perspective. Think about what you’re learning, and why you’re even bothering to learn it in the first place. Remember how you felt a few years ago, wishing and hoping to be following the thing that you love, or putting effort into school work, or whatever you might be struggling to find the motivation for. Remember that there is some reason you decided to pursue this work or follow this path. Sometimes we lose sight of it, but often that reason is enough to keep you from spiraling and start to put you back on track

Take a Productive Break

The first thing I'm always told when I'm overwhelmed is to just take a break. And even though it's genuinely good advice and everyone says it, it’s something that’s easy to look over or forget. Personally, taking a break often feels counter productive, like I’m wasting the precious time that I probably really need to finish my work. So, I've recently been mastering the art of taking productive breaks. If you’ve been busy doing homework or studying, go do something else, but something else that you need to do. Spend the time in your break on something that you can be proud of yourself for doing for you today. Take a walk in the park, take some time to stretch, or talk to a friend. You can clean your room or fold your laundry if you need to feel like you're doing something absolutely necessary. Focus on a book or a video of something you’re interested in, or update your calendar. Find something that can take your mind and body away from whatever it’s focused on, but is still purposful and adds to your day. Find what activity or time frame works for you and stick to it; if your break is worked into your routine, it will feel less like wasted time and more like just another part of working. And if that break is productive, it becomes a lot easier to justify in your brain and to actually follow through on.

Create Consistency

I tend to measure my time and my life by whatever project I happen to be spending my free time working on at that moment. When, for example, a production takes over your life for a few weeks, it’s easy to be completely engrossed in it and forget that the life, work, and deadlines that come afterwards are even happening. It’s comforting to block your life out based on when you are or aren’t working on something, but that doesn’t make future planning easy or accurate. It’s important to keep some things in your schedule consistent no matter what you’re doing. For me, that means having the same routine each morning and every night before bed. No matter if it’s late and I've been in tech all day or if it’s the morning after my show and I've slept in more than usual, I try to do the same things each morning and night. I also make sure I spend at least a little bit of time each day just talking with my friends, because I know that keeps me grounded and helps me to avoid stressing out too much. Keeping even just a few small parts of each day consistent no matter what helps me plan ahead in order to get things done. Make time for everything that needs to happen, yes, but also make time for the things that keep you sane and happy. As silly as it sounds, you do need to be sane and happy to accomplish the things you have to get done.

If you’ve read this entire article, you’re likely also a student just hoping to avoid burnout and stay positive this finals season. Hopefully, these methods that I use to keep myself organized and productive are helpful as school comes to a close for the year. Burnout isn’t a sign that you’re failing or falling behind, it’s a sign that you’ve been working hard for a long time. So be kind to yourself, and be proud of the effort you’ve put in and the things you’ve worked on. Rest when you need to, push forward when you can, and always remember why you started.