Organization Hack: How to Delegate Your To-Dos So you Don’t Burn Out

You are overworked, unappreciated, and under an immense amount of pressure.   This is how things feel every day and it seems like everyone is constantly piling more on you.  Your roommate never picks up after themselves.   The bathroom is a mess, and their laundry is all over.  Or is it your siblings?  They never take out the trash or shovel the snow, its always left on you to do. Maybe you have kids.  If so, I don't need any examples because that one is explanation enough!  

How are we going to get through this?  How are we going to manage our living situation, schoolwork, work-work, and all of our other obligations? 

What do you do when you sit down to write your to-do list, and each entry you write down is simply ”everything”?

Well, first we go back to that list and break that down into manageable pieces.  Check out our video on setting realistic goals to begin that process.  Then, we are going to enlist a literal army to get things done!

If you already have your to-do list handy and ready to go, we can jump right in.  If you are still resisting the list, you can still come along, there is time yet to convert you.

Go through and highlight all the tasks that are not your explicit responsibility.  These are the ones we are going to address first.   Now think critically, how pressed for time are you, versus how inconvenient will this task be?

If you have an exam coming up but your roommate has finished all of hers, maybe you can offer to trade responsibilities this week.  She can take on 1 or 2 of your chores this week in return for taking a rain check to do 2 of hers another week.

If you have friends in the same classes as you, maybe they could give you a practice exam that they made or they can quiz you with their flashcards if you don't have the time to make your own. 

Swapping little favours like this can really take a lot of pressure off you when you are feeling overwhelmed.  Maybe you belong to a study group, having a rotation of people that run the study group or, if each person comes up with two or three aspects of the content to head a discussion on, can take a lot of pressure off of one take-charge individual.  Rotating leaders will lighten the load to constantly keep the study session informed and rolling.

Allowing yourself to believe that there is no way out of a stressful situation can overwhelm precious brain space and lead to hopelessness, depression, self-doubt, and even the dreaded procrastination.  Simply reaching out to those closest to you, to help share the burden of some of your responsibilities, can release this pent-up pressure and allow you the breathing room to get your tasks back to a manageable level.

 So, what if you have kids?  I honestly believe that this requires its own dedicated video, but let's just cover the cliff notes version for now.  Hopefully, you have a partner that is able to pick up some of the slack when your obligations are too demanding.  I realize that the reality of the situation is not always ideal and that this is not always an option. 

There is the traditional route of babysitters and playdates to fall back on.  If this option is also a bust, you can try taking your study materials to the park or indoor play structure to get in a read through while the kids are distracted, assuming they are old enough.

If the child is in any extracurricular activities, don’t be afraid to bring some reading or flashcards, be they digital or analog, to take full advantage of the time you spend waiting for them to finish their class.  

You can also try starting up a study group for other student parents, there are more of them out there than you think.  Forming a study group,  even if it is interdisciplinary, that is child-friendly will not only be a great opportunity to network with other students that share your same struggles but can also form strong and lasting bonds between the parents and the children alike.

Don't let anyone tell you that these child-friendly study groups are less productive than the child-free ones.   What you must look at is the overall effect on the group and not just the material covered. 

Not only will you be going through coursework, but you will also receive emotional support from other students who really get your unique challenges and can truly empathize and understand your situation because they are going through it too.  

Also, let's be real for a second, the possibility of ending up with someone that causes a lot of distraction and is not particularly organized or lacks work ethic, is possible in any study group. 

The structure and schedule of a study group session among parents may look different but will likely still yield the same results especially if everyone is organized and pulling their weight.

When we talk about delegating this is really an all-encompassing idea where you can establish a network of friends and family that can help to pick up the slack when you are overwhelmed.  Delegation does not need to be just in the workplace where some unyielding manager deposits all his responsibilities on his subordinates. We can also bring this into our everyday lives and ask those around us for a little help when we need it. In turn, we can pay back this favour when we are in the position. 

Life is all “give and take”. Surround yourself with people who are just as eager to make your life easier as they are for you to do the same in theirs.