We are at the strangest time of the year; the true twilight zone if you will. It’s no-man’s-land: no assignments, no classes, and no responsibilities. Class assignments are all handed in, half of my lectures are cancelled, and I’m looking at a 9 day gap between my last lecture and my first final exam. I used to think to myself “oh wow! I have so much time” but it’s a trap! I convince myself I can take a day to relax, and that I’ll begin studying the next day, but before I know it, my exam is 12 hours away and I haven’t opened my notes once. Thankfully, I have created enough of a plan to limit my procrastination as much as I can, and these are some things that work best for me.
Creating a study schedule in advance
As soon as I get my exam schedule, I must plan. I grab my study buddy, we exchange schedules, and then day by day, we block out study periods. This allows me to best utilize the time I have before exams while making sure I’m not spreading myself out too thin. It gives me a sense of ease when I look at my calendar to see that I’ve allotted myself time to study; I don’t need to cram a semester’s worth of work into an all-nighter before my final.
Sticking to a routine
Even though labs are finished, everything is submitted, and I do not need to haul myself to early morning lectures, I still do my best to wake up early in the mornings. I find that if I let myself sleep in, I still end up going to bed at the same time each night, and therefore “shortening” the number of hours I am awake. I also enjoy a slower morning, consisting of getting ready, eating breakfast, and doing a workout. Waking up later would add more stress to my entire day. The slightest amount of structure surrounding my day makes all the difference between being productive and not.
Limiting starting new hobbies
This is the most important thing I do to make it out of the no-man’s-land period in one piece. I have a nasty habit of beginning new projects during this point in the semester. I always rationalize it because I typically have a week before my last class and my first exam, and I can’t spend every waking hour studying. So, during the study weeks, I do my best to avoid watching any new TV shows, beginning any new video games, or indulging in a new art project. I understand that there’s nothing wrong with taking breaks and doing something fun amidst the calm before the storm, but I can’t help but hyper fixate on fun new tasks.
