Transitioning from spring break into school mode is hard enough without the allure of a television. Luckily for us, the “Game of Thrones” season premiere and “The Walking Dead” season finale are already out of the way. Still, that blank screen has a habit of calling when we’re at our busiest. “Your Netflix queue is all ready for watching,” it says. “They’re replaying your favorite episode of ‘Trading Spouses,’” it says. I love TV and film too much to quit cold turkey, regardless of my assignments piling up, but I’ve learned you don’t need to.

Time management is the main thing — obvious, I know — but our love for favorite characters can also be used to help us. Try implementing a reward system: Wrote the first page of your neuroscience paper? Great! Treat yourself with an episode of “The Office.” Halfway through the assigned chapters of your textbook? Looks like it’s time to start “Wreck-It Ralph.”

I’ve also found that associating episodes, characters and events from TV with the information I’m learning helps facilitate the memorization process. “What year was the Battle of Dujaila during WWI?” I read about it around the time they were showing that ghastly dress on last night’s ‘Project Runway.’ Oh, yeah, 1916!”

This method does not work for everyone, and it’s important to determine when recording a must-see episode or movie is more beneficial than watching it. Will not knowing who was eliminated on “Dancing With the Stars” eat away at you to the detriment of your work or will not knowing be the motivation you need to knock this paper out of the park?

The happy balance is different for everyone, but it’s always possible to keep up with the Kardashians (if you really want to) and schoolwork through proper prioritization and work ethic. Sometimes, a dash of stress relief in the middle of a mountain of obligations is just what you need.