Plan a rough schedule that includes some time for sleeping and eating. While making the schedule, break up each stage or the project into more manageable sections and assign these sections tentative amounts of time.
Plan to spend more time on the difficult things. Additionally, it is a good idea to put the difficult parts of the project at the beginning of the first day so your mind and energy levels will be up to par. Make sure to allot enough time at the end of the project to be able to print it off and actually turn it in and/or deliver it to a classroom audience punctually.
Stay away from coffee and other sugary, caffeinated drinks. While these stimulants may seem tempting, keep them to a minimum since they will result in the infamous "crash" right around the time editing begins.
Eat plenty of whole grains and vegetables for energy and to stay full. Drink fruit juices for an added boost of natural sugar.
Listen to classical music. According to the "Journal or the Royal Society of Medicine," preliminary evidence in the field of intelligence research suggests that listening to classical music while engaging in a mentally stimulating activity like completing an academic project makes the activity easier.
Whether this is through some kind of mysterious psychological mechanism of action that increases learning ability, or simply an increase in ease due to enjoyment and relaxation, is unclear. At any rate, relaxing with classical music may be a good thing if you have a tendency to experience last-minute anxiety about work.
Make sure to take breaks. Try not to go more than an hour without stopping for at least five or ten minutes. Try to keep the stress to a minimum and avoid using drugs and alcohol, which can make the stress worse in the end for busy students looking for a way out.