How to: keep studying when exhausted

Scenario: You have reached the limit of your energy. Due dates are looming close to the horizon but you are too tired to even care. You have lost all interest in everything you are doing. You wake up tired. You go to class tired.You work tired.You fall asleep tired. You have gotten to the point that even coffee does not work anymore. It would be good because if someone killed you today as you will not have to take the exam/assignment/oral. 

If you can relate to most of the above you are probably burning out. Keep up at that rate and you will become counterproductive. However, you are unable to escape obligations as life keeps grinding on…what are you going to do?

Step 1: STOP. DROP. AND LAY IN BED.

Class? Swing it. Work? Swing it. Revision? Swing it. Life? Swing it. Take at least 24 hrs to do nothing at all (think about the remote control in the movie ‘Click’). Do not think about anything that stresses you out. Do not think, period. Watch at least one season of gossip girl. Lay in bed for the whole day. 

Step 2: GET YOUR ASS MOVING

Drag yourself off your bed and go out to do at least 1hr of physical activity. The sweatier the better. This may seem counter intuitive to your exhaustion but trust me this is the magic ingredient. Please do not skip this step or you will burn out again.

Step 3: REORGANIZE

Throw your old schedule in the bin. Take one hour to reorganize everything and put less in your day. Start with doing something small. Wrote a paragraph of that essay? Go eat some ice cream. Over reward yourself for small tasks achieved. It does not matter that you cannot achieve the same amount that you have previously. This will only lead you burning out again. Your only goal now is to keep moving forward.