We are about four weeks out of finals week and I find it more difficult to finish out the semester strong and to find motivation. To change this, I refer back to some ways that help me increase my personal performance, and they may help you too!
- Get your beauty sleep
-
I feel like I just got hit by a wall with more work than I think I can handle, but I know I can’t get any of it done by pulling all-nighters. You have to get enough sleep so you can not only get work done, but do your work well. Getting eight hours of sleep, at least, will help your mind function better, get you motivated and make you feel refreshed to start a new day.
- Drink lots of water
-
Water is underrated when it comes to giving you energy. When you wake up and drink a glass of water, that alone can wake up your body to start your day. You are giving yourself the fuel to even get out of bed. Drinking water throughout the day will also increase your metabolism, which helps your brain function better. You can add a couple of coffees in there too, they always help;)
- Sit down and do something for yourself
-
When we become overwhelmed, we think that we don’t have enough time to do what we want to do like watching our favorite shows or whatever we like to do to allow ourselves to rest. Rest is very important because it is like hitting the reset button on energy. I know that if I study and work for more than two or three hours without doing something for myself, even something as simple as listening to a podcast, I find myself not being able to focus and I become very distracted.
- Make a list of what needs to be done and prioritize
-
When professors decide to throw more work at you, it is very easy to get lost in it all. Prioritizing helps me a lot when preparing for the end of the year so I don’t miss any assignments and though it may look like a lot, planning out everything shows me all the time I actually have to finish everything. Ask yourself what is most important, what takes the most time, what requires the most effort, and what you can hold off and work on later.
- Create study blocks in your day
-
If I do not create study blocks where I sit down for a couple of hours and grind out my work, then I procrastinate for as long as possible. This way, I can feel better about the work on my plate and I can take one thing at a time. During my study blocks, I put my phone where I can’t easily pick it up and look at it, and I get quality studying done. Afterward, I take a well-deserved break before my next task.