It’s that time of year again. There’s only a few weeks left until the end of the semester and you are feeling pretty much… done. You’ve gotten past the peak of all-hell-breaks-loose in late March and early April, but the work is far from over. Now it’s time to face all those big final projects and papers that you’ve been ignoring for the entire semester. I know you already feel burnt out, and the motivation to even get up and start a school assignment is basically nonexistent, but just think how good it will feel after everything is done. Even if you start on something big now, there’s a chance you could get it over with so by finals week, you are just coasting to the finish line instead of sprinting. Now here’s the hard part: how does one muster up the courage to tackle these heavy-hanging assignments? Read closely.
1. Now is not the time to clean the entire apartment. I know it’s tempting to procrastinate more important work by doing other less-important work, but you’re really only hurting yourself. There will be plenty of time come May to scrub the kitchen floors and reorganize your closet. So put down the broom and pick up a pen; that final art project or essay isn’t going to create itself.
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2. Find your zone, and stay in it. So you usually do schoolwork in the living room with your roommate’s favorite action show blasting in the background and the temptation of starting up a conversation or zoning out at the TV easily accessible. Resist. Find a quiet place where there isn’t a chance someone will disturb you and settle into your work. If the silence is distracting, play some soft music on your laptop– preferably without words. Give yourself one stopping point you must reach until you’re allowed to get up for a snack or bathroom break.
3. Give yourself one weekend night to let loose. If you usually go out on Friday and Saturday nights, give one of them up until the end of the semester. Preferably a Saturday night– you won’t have to worry about recovering from a hangover all day on Sunday while simultaneously trying to write the most important essay of the semester. Use that time to have a light work night where you get an assignment done and then treat yourself to a movie before bed.
4. Get your friends involved! There’s nothing worse than hunkering down to study and receiving a text from your bestie asking to come along for a beach day. There’s no way work could even attempt to measure up to a day lounging on the beach with your friends. Instead, ask if your group wants to go to a coffee shop for two or three hours and afterwards go to the beach to watch the sunset and enjoy a quick dinner out somewhere. You’re much more likely to get things done when everyone else is working hard, too.
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5. Make Netflix your reward, not your procrastination tool. You really want to see what happens on the next episode of 13 Reasons Why but tomorrow is exam day in English 386, what do you do? Give yourself two hours of focused studying and then reward yourself with one episode of your favorite show. The important part here is ONE. After it’s over, work hard again for another hour until you are allowed to watch the next one.
Remember, the harder you work now, the more you get to relax and let loose later on… Good luck, you’re almost there!