How to Feel Less Stressed 😬

Hey y’all,

I’m feeling pretty stressed right now. I have to finish this newsletter. And after I finish this newsletter, I have to script a video. And after I script a video, I have to debug my website. And after I debug my website, I have to film some clips. And after I film some clips…

You get the point.

Chances are you’re in a similar situation. You probably have a handful of tasks you’re procrastinating on by reading this newsletter.

But don’t worry—I’ll make it worth it. In this newsletter, I’m going to cover the techniques and mental frameworks I use to deal with stress, which can hopefully help you as well.

Enjoy the Ride

Look, your to-do list is never going to end, and the faster you can embrace that fact, the faster you can conquer your stress.

We often tell ourselves that once we get through everything on our to-do list, we can relax and enjoy ourselves. But how often do we actually get through our entire to-do list? Most people seldom do.

In fact, of the five remaining tasks on my to-do list, I’ll probably finish three or four tonight and have to put the rest off to tomorrow. And this is how it is most nights!

As such, if I only yearn for the satisfaction of getting through all my tasks—which doesn’t happen often—I’m going to entrap myself in a constant state of stress.

That’s why it’s critical to focus less on how much work you have left and focus more on the work you’re doing. Enjoy things for what they are instead of how much closer they get you to completion.

For example, as I’m writing this newsletter, I’m trying not to worry about my remaining tasks. I’m instead searching for joy in the writing process itself—in expressing my thoughts, sharing my advice, and connecting with you all.

You can apply a similar mindset to your schoolwork. As you work through your assignments and readings, think “I get to learn this” instead of “I have to learn this.” Find joy in the fact that studying is making you more competent, well-informed, and engaging individual.

Life is going to throw an incessant stream of tasks your way. The faster you can learn to enjoy the ride, the faster you can replace your tension with relief.

Batch Your Tasks

For the past few months, I’ve been batching my tasks to shrink my to-do list, and it’s been an absolute gamechanger.

Task batching is the practice of grouping similar tasks and completing them together. For example, let’s say your to-do list looks like the following:

1. Read history textbook chapter

2. Solve math problems 1-5

3. Write essay introduction

4. Check campus job board

5. Create biology study guide

6. Write essay body paragraphs

7. Review psychology notes

8. Update resume

You can “shrink” this list in half by batching together similar tasks as so:

1. Review academic material

   • Read history textbook chapter

   • Create biology study guide

   • Review psychology notes

2. Compose essay sections

   • Write essay introduction

   • Write essay body paragraphs

3. Practice math skills

   • Solve math problems 1-5

4. Manage career development

   • Check campus job board

   • Update resume

Batching tasks offers several advantages. First, your to-do list appears more manageable, which should naturally reduce your stress. Instead of trying to juggle eight distinct tasks, it now feels like you only have four.

Second, batching improves your efficiency by reducing the mental switching costs between different types of work. When you tackle all your reading tasks at once, for example, you stay in a “reading mindset,” allowing you maintain focus and momentum.

Create Pockets of Fun

The busier you get, the more intentional you have to be about carving out time for breaks. At any given moment, there is always something productive that you can be doing. But if you give into this constant urge to be hyper-efficient, you’ll never give yourself the time to catch a breather.

This is an issue I started running into recently.

Throughout July, I spent most days filming and scripting without finding any time to enjoy myself. Towards the end of the month, I realized that I’ll never “find” time to take a break and that I instead need to make that time.

For the past few weeks, I’ve scheduled a one-hour break into my calendar every single day. Regardless of what I have to do, I still make time for myself—to watch videos, to game, to take a walk, etc.

Truthfully, my brother Mahad and I have been spending the last few weeks watching Succession every night (such a great show, by the way). This TV ritual has reduced my stress significantly because no matter how much work I have to do on a given day, I always have something to look forward to.

And with that, hopefully you’re looking forward to next week’s newsletter!

What did you think about this newsletter? DM me on Instagram (@goharsguide) to let me know!

If you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

And if you need help with college applications, check out Next Admit! We have a team of Ivy League consultants eager to help you navigate the admissions process.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar