By: Soham Sawant, Kennedy College of Sciences Well-Being Leader

There are many kinds of problems that a student faces, but the most dangerous ones are the smaller less noticeable problems that stack up over time. We usually think about the big student problems, right? Failing a final, a massive project blowing up, or just pure exam-week panic. But honestly, the scariest problems aren’t the loud ones. They’re the tiny, quiet issues that you barely even notice… until they stack up and everything suddenly feels like it’s falling apart.

It all starts small. The semester gets busy, assignments start piling up, and your sleep schedule takes the first hit. You stay up late, but you still have to drag yourself to that early class. The exhaustion builds. Pretty soon, you’re just too tired and you hit “snooze” one too many times. You skip class, and boom—you’re already behind. But that’s where the stacking really kicks in. Because you’re rushing to that next class you didn’t skip, you grab a coffee instead of breakfast. Now you’re running on low energy all day, which makes you burn out faster and makes that night’s homework feel way harder. See? One small problem (lost sleep) just stacked into three (being behind, bad nutrition, and burnout).

This “stacking effect” is happening all the time. Think about the “academic debt” you build up. You skip a 30-page reading, thinking, “Eh, I got the gist from the lecture.” Next week, you skip a 15-minute video. No big deal, right? But a month later, you’re in class, and the professor is referencing all those small things you missed. You’re completely lost. When it’s time for the midterm, you’re not just reviewing—you’re learning a month’s worth of material from scratch. Or what about the slow drain from your phone? You sit down to study and tell yourself, “Just a five-minute check.” Twenty minutes later, you’re back. This isn’t just about the lost time; it’s about losing “deep work.” Every time your brain switches from your problem set to social media, it has to hit reset and reload all that complex info. It’s mentally exhausting. An assignment that should’ve taken one focused hour now takes three frustrating hours, pushing your whole schedule back.

So, why is this a big deal to recognize?

You can finally figure out the real problem. When you’re failing, it’s easy to think, “I’m just lazy” or “I’m not smart enough.” That’s a dead end. The real diagnosis might be, “I’m only getting six hours of sleep,” or “My desk is a disaster zone.” You can’t fix “being lazy,” but you can fix your sleep schedule.

It makes overwhelming problems feel solvable. The idea of “getting my life together” when you’re swamped feels impossible. It’s a mountain. But this approach breaks it down. You can’t “catch up on a month of work” today. But you can “eat a real breakfast.” You can “put your phone away for 25 minutes.” Fixing one small thing gives you the energy to fix the next, creating a good cycle for a change.

This is how burnout really happens. It’s not one big explosion. It’s a death by a thousand cuts. Your energy and focus are like a battery. Every skipped meal, lost hour of sleep, and random distraction is a small drain. When the battery hits zero, you’re burnt out. Learning to spot and manage these small, stacking problems as a student is one of the most useful skills you’ll ever build. It’s not just about grades; it’s about learning how to run your life in a way that doesn’t run you into the ground—a skill you’ll need for your job, your money, and your relationships long after graduation.