Prioritize Assignments Like a Pro: A Student’s Guide

Feeling Buried in Due Dates? Let’s Dig You Out.

Remember that feeling? You sit down at your desk, ready to be productive. You open your planner, your learning management system, your email… and suddenly, it hits you. A tidal wave of tasks. A 10-page paper due Friday. A chemistry problem set due tomorrow. Required reading for three different classes. And, oh yeah, that group project you completely forgot about. Your heart starts to race, your brain fogs over, and you end up scrolling on your phone for an hour just to cope. It’s a classic case of analysis paralysis, fueled by academic overwhelm. The secret to escaping this cycle isn’t about working harder or pulling more all-nighters. It’s about working smarter. The single most valuable skill you can develop as a student is learning how to prioritize your assignments effectively. It’s the difference between constantly feeling behind and confidently being in control.

This isn’t about some magic formula that will suddenly give you more hours in the day. It’s about strategically allocating the hours you already have. It’s about making conscious, informed decisions about what to work on, when to work on it, and for how long. Think of it like being the CEO of You, Inc. Your grades are your bottom line, and your time is your most valuable asset. You wouldn’t just throw money at random problems, would you? Of course not. So why would you throw your time at random assignments? Let’s get strategic and turn that mountain of work into a manageable series of steps.

The Myth of Multitasking and the Reality of Burnout

Before we dive into the ‘how,’ we need to address a dangerous myth that plagues students everywhere: the idea that you can do it all at once. We’ve been conditioned to believe that juggling five things simultaneously is a sign of productivity. Answering emails while watching a lecture while outlining a paper… sound familiar? The science is clear: the human brain is terrible at multitasking. What you’re actually doing is ‘task-switching’—rapidly shifting your focus from one thing to another. Each switch comes with a cognitive cost, draining your mental energy and increasing the time it takes to complete each task. The result? Lower quality work, more mistakes, and a profound sense of exhaustion.

Trying to tackle everything at once is a surefire recipe for burnout. It leads to a constant, low-grade state of stress where you feel like you’re always working but never actually finishing anything important. You end up spending a lot of time on ‘busy work’—things that feel productive but don’t actually move the needle on your most critical assignments. Prioritization is the antidote. It forces you to confront the reality that not all tasks are created equal. Some assignments have a much bigger impact on your final grade than others. Some have deadlines that are set in stone, while others have more flexibility. Recognizing these differences is the first step toward reclaiming your sanity and your schedule.

The Eisenhower Matrix: A Student’s Best Friend

Okay, let’s get practical. One of the most powerful and easy-to-understand frameworks for prioritization was supposedly used by Dwight D. Eisenhower. It’s a simple grid that helps you sort tasks based on two key criteria: urgency and importance. This is a game-changer for students.

• Urgent tasks are those that demand your immediate attention. They often have near-term deadlines. Think: ‘This is due tomorrow!’
• Important tasks are those that contribute to your long-term goals and values. They have a significant impact on your success. Think: ‘This paper is worth 30% of my final grade.’

By plotting your assignments on a four-quadrant grid, you can instantly see what needs your attention now, what you should plan for, and what you can ignore. It’s about moving from a reactive to a proactive mindset.

Quadrant 1: Do First (Urgent & Important)

This is your crisis quadrant. These are the tasks with high stakes and imminent deadlines. There’s no getting around them; you have to do them, and you have to do them now.

Examples:

• A major essay due tomorrow morning.
• Studying for a midterm that’s in two days.
• Finishing a problem set that must be submitted by midnight.

Your goal is to spend as little time in this quadrant as possible. While you can’t eliminate it completely, living in Quadrant 1 is the definition of stress. Good planning, which we’ll get to, helps prevent tasks from ever ending up here.

Quadrant 2: Schedule (Important & Not Urgent)

Welcome to the magic quadrant. This is where real success is built. These are the tasks that are crucial for your long-term academic success but don’t have a screaming-in-your-face deadline… yet. This is where you have the space to think, research, and produce your best work.

Examples:

• Starting research for a term paper due in a month.
• Breaking down a large project into smaller, manageable steps.
• Reviewing lecture notes weekly to prepare for the final exam.
• Networking or working on your portfolio for post-graduation goals.

Proactive, successful students live in Quadrant 2. By scheduling time for these tasks, you prevent them from becoming Quadrant 1 crises later on. This is where you should aim to spend most of your academic energy.

Quadrant 3: Delegate or Minimize (Urgent & Not Important)

This is the quadrant of deception. These tasks feel important because they are urgent—they pop up and demand attention—but they don’t actually contribute much to your goals. They are often distractions disguised as work.

Examples:

• Responding to non-critical group chat messages immediately.
• Attending an optional club meeting when you have a big paper to work on.
• Dealing with minor administrative requests that could be handled later.

For a student, ‘delegate’ might mean setting boundaries. Let your study group know you’ll check messages once every few hours. Learn to politely say ‘no’ to requests that derail your focus on Quadrant 1 and 2 tasks. Minimize the time you spend here.

Quadrant 4: Eliminate (Not Urgent & Not Important)

This is the time-waster quadrant. These activities offer little to no value and actively pull you away from what matters. Be honest with yourself about what falls into this category.

Examples:

• Mindless scrolling through social media for an hour.
• Binge-watching a TV series when you know you have studying to do.
• Worrying about an assignment instead of starting it.

Everyone needs downtime, but it should be intentional (that’s a Quadrant 2 activity: ‘Schedule time for rest’). Quadrant 4 activities are the ones you fall into unconsciously that leave you feeling guilty and more stressed. Identify them and eliminate them from your study time.

Actionable Strategies to Prioritize Your Assignments

The Eisenhower Matrix gives you the ‘why.’ Now, let’s talk about the ‘how.’ Here are some concrete methods you can start using today to organize your to-do list and tackle your workload like a pro.

The ‘Eat That Frog’ Method

Coined by Brian Tracy, the concept is simple: if you have to eat a live frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. Your ‘frog’ is your most important, and often most dreaded, task of the day. It’s that big, hairy assignment you’re tempted to procrastinate on. By tackling it first, you accomplish two things. First, you get it out of the way, and the rest of your day feels easier by comparison. Second, you leverage your peak mental energy—which for most people is in the morning—on the task that requires it most. This creates incredible momentum that carries you through your other, smaller tasks.

The ABCDE Method

This is a slightly more granular approach that works well with a long list of tasks. Go through your assignment list for the week and label each item with a letter from A to E.

1. A = Must Do: These are your frogs. They have serious consequences if not completed (e.g., failing a class, missing a major deadline). If you have multiple ‘A’ tasks, you can number them A-1, A-2, etc., in order of priority.
2. B = Should Do: These tasks have minor consequences. They are important, but not as critical as your ‘A’ tasks. The rule is: Never work on a ‘B’ task if an ‘A’ task is still unfinished.
3. C = Nice to Do: These tasks have no real consequences if you don’t get to them. Examples might include re-organizing your notes, or doing optional extra-credit reading.
4. D = Delegate: For students, this often means assigning a part of a group project to a teammate or asking for help.
5. E = Eliminate: These are tasks you can cut entirely. Is that optional workshop really necessary this week? Probably not. Cut it.

This method forces a conscious decision about every single item on your list, preventing you from defaulting to the easy ‘C’ tasks while the important ‘A’ tasks loom over you.

The Power of Time Blocking

A prioritized list is useless without a plan of execution. That’s where time blocking comes in. Instead of a simple to-do list, you assign every task a specific block of time in your calendar. You’re not just saying ‘I’ll work on my history paper today.’ You’re scheduling ‘2:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Research and outline history paper’ directly into your Google Calendar or planner. This technique is powerful because it forces you to be realistic about how long tasks will take and it treats your academic work with the same importance as a class or an appointment. It also carves out dedicated time for deep work, free from distractions. When a block starts, you put your phone away, close irrelevant tabs, and focus solely on the assigned task.

“A plan is what, a schedule is when. It takes both a plan and a schedule to get things done.” – Peter Turla

Tools of the Trade: Digital vs. Analog

You have the frameworks and the strategies. Now, you just need a system to manage it all. The best tool is the one you’ll actually use consistently. Don’t get bogged down in finding the ‘perfect’ app; pick one and start.

Digital Task Managers

Digital tools are great for their flexibility, reminders, and accessibility across devices. Popular options for students include:

• Todoist: A clean, simple, and powerful to-do list app. Great for implementing the ABCDE method and setting recurring tasks (like ‘Review chemistry notes’ every Sunday).
• Trello or Asana: These are Kanban-style board apps. You can create columns for ‘To Do,’ ‘In Progress,’ and ‘Done,’ and move your assignments across as you work on them. It’s incredibly satisfying and visual.
• Notion: A highly customizable, all-in-one workspace. You can build complex dashboards to track all your classes, assignments, notes, and schedules in one place. It has a steeper learning curve but is unbelievably powerful.
• Google Calendar: The king of time blocking. Simple, effective, and integrates with everything.

The Humble Planner

Never underestimate the power of pen and paper. The physical act of writing down your tasks can improve memory and commitment. A simple notebook or a dedicated academic planner can be your command center. You can draw your own Eisenhower Matrix, create weekly spreads for time blocking, and get the immense satisfaction of physically crossing an item off your list. Bullet journaling is another fantastic, flexible analog system that adapts to your specific needs.

Putting It All Together: Your Weekly Attack Plan

Knowledge without action is just trivia. Here’s how to turn these ideas into a repeatable weekly workflow.

1. The Sunday Summit: Set aside 30 minutes every Sunday evening. This is non-negotiable.
2. Brain Dump: Open a blank page or a new document. List every single thing you need to do in the coming week. Look at your syllabi, your email, your online portal. Get it all out of your head and onto the page. Don’t filter, just list.
3. Prioritize: Apply a method. Run your list through the Eisenhower Matrix. Or, assign an A, B, or C to each item. Identify your ‘frog’ for each day of the week. Ask yourself: ‘What one or two tasks will make the biggest impact on my grades this week?’
4. Schedule It: Open your calendar. Start by blocking in your fixed commitments: classes, work, appointments. Then, take your prioritized tasks—especially your ‘A’ tasks and Quadrant 2 items—and schedule them into the open blocks. Be realistic. Schedule breaks. Schedule time for meals and exercise.
5. Execute and Adjust: Each morning, take two minutes to review your plan for the day. As you go, you might need to adjust. A task might take longer than expected, or a professor might assign something new. That’s fine. A plan isn’t a cage; it’s a compass. It gives you a direction so you can adjust course intelligently instead of just drifting.

Conclusion

Learning how to prioritize your assignments is not an innate talent; it’s a skill. And like any skill, it takes practice. You might not get it perfect the first week, and that’s okay. The goal is progress, not perfection. Start by choosing just one strategy from this guide—maybe it’s the Eisenhower Matrix or the ‘Eat That Frog’ method—and commit to trying it for a week. Notice how it feels to make conscious decisions about your time. Notice the sense of control that comes from having a plan. By moving from a reactive state of panic to a proactive state of purpose, you’ll not only improve your grades but also dramatically reduce your stress, freeing up more time and mental energy for the parts of student life you actually enjoy.

FAQ

What if two assignments have the same deadline and are worth the same percentage of my grade?

This is a great question and a common dilemma. When other factors are equal, consider these tie-breakers: 1) Which one is your ‘frog’? Start with the one you are more likely to procrastinate on. Getting it done first will be a huge psychological win. 2) How long will each take? If one is a quick two-hour task and the other is a ten-hour beast, it might be strategic to knock out the quick one first to build momentum. 3) What comes next? Consider which assignment, once completed, will free up more mental space or resources for other upcoming tasks.

How do I handle unexpected assignments or changes to my schedule?

Flexibility is key. The purpose of a schedule isn’t to be rigid; it’s to provide a baseline so you can adapt intelligently. When something new pops up, don’t just panic. Take a moment to evaluate it using the same prioritization principles. Is it urgent and important (a pop quiz announced for tomorrow)? If so, you’ll need to look at your schedule and decide which lower-priority task (a ‘B’ or ‘C’ item) can be postponed or shortened to make room for it. Your plan gives you the information you need to make a strategic trade-off instead of just letting everything fall apart.