Although the midterm season of spring semester coincides with the end of winter and seasonal depression, the nice weather worsens another problem: academic burnout. Studying for tests and working on projects seems criminal when the sun is out, and the open Quad is calling. First off, there is nothing wrong with capitalizing on sunny days, and you can study while laying out pretty easily, but another strategy to cope with burnout is a reward system.
According to Dr. James Wells, using TV as a reward can be a good strategy for motivation. So next time you need to study for a big exam, try breaking it into parts. After studying for an hour, you could watch an episode, or, if it’s a particularly big project, save an hour toward the end of your day for a show you enjoy.
One way to improve the effectiveness of this method is to find a new show with new characters and storylines, so you don’t know what to expect. Here are a few shows across a variety of streaming platforms that might pique your interest and make your studying worthwhile:
- Community – Netflix
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With six seasons and, unfortunately, no movie yet, Community is a great choice for lovers of The Office, Parks and Recreation or 30 Rock. Revolving around a study group at the fictional Greendale community college, the show goes from heartfelt moments to totally absurd humor fast enough to give viewers whiplash, but in the best possible way. The original cast includes names such as National Lampoon’s Chevy Chase and Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, and The Hangover’s Ken Jeong. Every episode is less than half an hour and is just the right amount of time to relax and regroup before getting back on the grind.
- The Sex Life of College Girls – HBO Max
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The Sex Life of College Girls came out in 2021, but most fans of the show are already begging for a second season. Funny and off-beat, the central characters, four roommates with very different upbringings, manage to get themselves into just about every awkward situation a freshman college girl is capable of getting into. The perfect mixture of drama, hilarity and coming-of-age, this show will make you feel seen even if your homework is trying it’s best to bring you down.
- Psych – Amazon Prime
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First airing in 2006, Psych ran for 120 underrated episodes. Childhood prodigy turned 20-something-year-old college dropout and chronically unemployed burnout Shawn Spencer and his best friend, Gus, open a fake psychic detective agency. Partnering with the Santa Barbara police department, Shawn goes to some crazy extremes to keep his secret- that he’s really just extraordinarily observant and a talented liar but enjoys being a detective more than any of the dozens of jobs he’s quit before. With a new case every week and tendency to keep things light and humorous, looking forward to the guys’ next case will keep you focused or, maybe, motivate you to start your own fake crime fighting business (which is way more fun).
- Peacemaker – HBO Max
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A new show for fans of either the Marvel or DC Universe, John Cena goes all out in the new Peacemaker series. Honestly, if you like crude humor and absurd situations with an element of mystery, previous experience with comic book adaptations is not a requirement to enjoy this show. Every episode leaves you with enough laughs to feel at least a little less stressed, and enough questions to leave you wanting more. Studying might become exciting with the promise of Peacemaker on the other end, if you can spot him.
- The Haunting of hill house – netflix
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For the horror fans, there’s The Haunting of Hill House. The predecessor of shows like Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Bly Manor, the actors take on new roles, but the storylines change. With its delicate balance of intrigue and horror, this show keeps viewers guessing but not so disturbed they can’t follow through to the end. Personally, I found Hill House a great tool in developing a study-reward system. The show is interesting enough to keep viewers wanting more, and wanting answers, but the level of intensity makes it best in small doses, therefore, fitting perfectly in between or at the end of study sessions.
Academic burnout is a totally normal experience but hopefully, if you’re willing to try new things, creating an incentive for yourself will help.