How is it almost the end of the semester? It feels like it just started. Finals season is right around the corner, and the end of November means deadlines, deadlines and DEADLINES!!! If you are currently drowning in term papers and have no idea how you will prepare for finals, you are not alone.
Procrastination is every student’s biggest weakness and no matter how many times we use the ‘self-control’ software, somehow Netflix always manages to sneak up on our laptop screens in the middle of our hardcore study session (I am weak, and Netflix is my addiction).
If you are anything like me and have no time management skills whatsoever, here are a serious procrastinator’s tips to be super productive and actually get work done.
- Leave your room. This honestly is a trial and error technique, some days it works and not so much other times. A change of location can really help you get focused and motivated. By leaving your room, you remove the possibility of wasting time by getting into your cozy bed and taking a nap!
- Find a study buddy or study group. Having a good group of friends that are also dedicated to getting work done will really act as an external motivator and make you work even harder. Personally, seeing others concentrating really makes me want to work harder. This also lets you discuss topics that may be unclear or quiz each other once you’re all done studying which can help reinforce information for all of you.
- GET SOME SLEEP. I can’t stress how important this is. In order to maximize your full potential you need to be well rested and well fed. Your brain needs energy to remember all this new information you’re throwing into it, and your body needs sleep to consolidate this new information.
- Study in intervals. This technique requires you to time yourself and maximize the amount of work you do in that time. If you set a timer to study for 45 minutes straight, that means you will work without a break for that period of time without any distractions. You need to make the most of this time and then enjoy your well-deserved break and then start again. Studying in intervals like this helps you retain information faster and gives you breaks in between which makes you even more motivated to get back into studying.
- Make a schedule and stick to it. Time is flying, so make a study timetable that you can stick to and that’s realistic. Try to do as much as you can in the limited amount of time that you have. Studying an hour of one subject and then another for the next is actually a very effective technique to get a lot of work done and to stop yourself from getting bored.
Now stop reading this article and go STUDYYY! THOSE FINALS WON’T ACE THEMSELVES.
Cover image obtained from:
https://thehungryjpeg.com/crafters/page-2/