You did it right, how did it go wrong? Finals edition.

When students are stressed out, falling behind, or already behind, they often get wrapped up in blame. It is either their fault for not having done it right in the first place, their graders’ fault for assigning too much or changing something, their managers’ fault for assigning too many hours or inconvenient shifts, maybe their friends or family or the cat or their favorite show or the weather.

It turns out that whether that blame is accurately assessed or utterly erroneous, it is usually a waste of time. Inaccurate assessments are obviously useless, but even accurate ones are better left to the academic off-season. That is a good time to reassess your time management or realize that perhaps a certain class or professor is not for you.

Put the blame aside. Is that hard to do? Yes. If it weren’t, we’d all do it. If it were easy, you’d have already done it. But, it’s time to start practicing. Focus on what you can do now. Quickly, do not labor over this, make a list of the assignments you need to do and note how long each will take. Do not include reading in the list just yet. Now, put the assignments into your schedule.

Chances are you will have more time than you thought. If not, consider a company like PowerPapers.com to help you by taking on an assignment or two.

Some of your reading may be required rather than supportive, for example for a test. Consider how much time you actually need to spend on those, and then schedule those, too. This is often where a student’s schedule breaks down. Even those who can cover all of their written assignments may have trouble including all of their reading, too. If you find yourself out of time, this is another time where hiring outside help might be the answer.