As someone who is taking 15 credit hours and working 35 hours a week across three jobs both on campus and off, I occasionally find myself busy and overwhelmed with the things I need to do. I’m by no means the busiest person on campus — looking at you, Caleb Schrock-Hurst — but I do find myself desperately trying to figure out what I need to do on any given day.

Even while having all these things to do, I still feel like one of the laziest people on campus. I do not do my homework until the night before (sometimes the morning before) a class, and week-long projects usually go untouched until at the very most two days before the due date, usually the day of.

I am moving from day to day of my college experience by surviving. I am scraping by, getting things done on time, but only just. Now, time is catching up to me and I only have half a semester left on campus. I move to D.C. next fall for an extra semester to complete my cross cultural and internship requirements at the Washington Community Scholars Center.

But “real life” is just around the corner and unless I get really lucky, just surviving is not going to cut it anymore. I need to start living.

With this in mind, I have started to make lists. Nothing so organized and contained as a daily planner, but just a list of the things I have to do over a certain period of time. For instance, my spring break list included items like “do taxes” and “write editorial.” It has helped me quantify my life and I feel less overwhelmed. I also get the bonus of the satisfaction that comes when I cross an item off.

This all seems rather obvious and I bet that literally everyone has figured this out. But if there is anyone out there feeling overwhelmed about the seemingly endless mountain of things they have to do and desperately wants to organize their life, just start small. Make a list of the things that you have to do today. Just today.

Dividing a larger task up and crossing it off as you go can trick yourself into thinking that you have gotten more done and the satisfaction you feel from that can motivate you to do more.

Again, it seems obvious, but it is important to keep the simple things in mind, especially as we move into the home stretch of the semester and projects and final exams loom like dark sentries to the tiny pinprick of light that is summer break.

If we can all find small ways to motivate ourselves, then we can survive. Even more than that, we can actually live.