We’re now well into the semester, and the work may be piling up—papers, projects, and deadlines that creep up on you like ninjas. Have you ever gotten so overwhelmed by academic pressure that you just froze up or panicked? Congratulations, you’re a college student. Seriously, it’s super common and nothing to feel bad about.

Here’s how to get unstuck

Consider: For every moment in the future where there’s some task to handle, there is a “you” whose job is to handle it. Exam next Thursday? There’s a “next-Thursday-you” whose job is to take that exam. (That said, “present you” may want to crack a book or schedule some study time.) There’s a paper you want to start on tomorrow morning? “Tomorrow-morning-you” has it covered. Convenient, right? The work doesn’t get overwhelming because it’s divvied up among all those future “yous.”

Here’s the problem: When you fret about all the work that’s coming up, you take the burden of all those future “yous” and cram it onto the shoulders of “present you.” Who wouldn’t get overwhelmed? But if you just remember that you have all your future “yous” to share the burden, you can loosen up and take your work one moment at a time.

If you saw last month’s column, you know I’m big on mental labeling: using helpful thoughts to “call out” unhelpful thoughts. So here’s a labeling technique to try when you freeze up, shut down, or get overwhelmed by work:

Whenever you find yourself stressing about anything other than the work you’re doing right now, say in your mind, “That’s a job for future-me. My job is ________.

• Writing paper #1 but stressing about paper #2? “Paper #2 is a job for future me. My job is to write this first paper.”
• Sitting in class and freaking out about an upcoming test? “That test is a job for future me. My job is to listen to the professor right now.”

Here’s how I know this technique works: I have two reports due at noon tomorrow, and I’m still able to focus on writing this article. Why? Because those reports are—say it with me—a job for future me.