No one knows better than college students that after hours of studying, the task can get pretty monotonous. All of the words in a paragraph tend to blend together, and it becomes easy to transpose a complicated quadratic equation by simply writing an x in the wrong spot.
Regardless, reading pages and pages of text and doing calculation after calculation is a necessary evil to getting that coveted 4.0, but no one said you can’t take a break every once in a while. Putting the books aside for 10 or 15 minutes will put you in a much better mood and help recharge your batteries for another chunk of studying.
Try these fun ideas for a study break!
1. Do a Sudoku or a crossword puzzle. These quick strategy games will help your brain think about something other than accounting and finance. Once you finish, you’ll feel accomplished and ready to conquer another task (like those pesky problems). Try this one now!
2. Keep a hula hoop under your bed, and break it out when the books are getting boring. Ten minutes later you’ll have burned 100 calories and will be refreshed and ready for anything Bentley can throw at you.
3. Paint your nails! Try this cool design.
Also, check out my friend, Nupur’s, awesome post about how to do some cool nail trends for back-to-school season here!
4. Make a cup of tea or head to seasons to grab a hot chocolate. This warm drink will wake you up just enough to tackle those texts.
5. Play an instrument. Did you bring your guitar to Bentley? Are you a flutist? Whatever your preference, brush the dust off your case and play around for a while. Though you may have to use a sound proof room so you don’t drive your floor mates crazy, getting immersed in the music will be a fun repose from your work.
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6. Read a chapter in a book you’re reading for fun. Sit down in that comfy chair you have in your dorm and dive into a sci-fi, fantasy, or non-fiction book of your choice. Focusing on something you enjoy reading will be a nice break from a textbook that isn’t quite as appetizing. Don’t have a book to read? Try this great read:
7. Go for a walk! Put in your headphones and talk a walk around campus. Limit yourself to four or five songs so as not to put off the studying for too long, and enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful campus.
8. Take a shower. This is one of the easiest ways to feel totally refreshed. Throw on some comfy clothes after and you’ll ready for anything.
9. Watch Youtube videos! You have some options, such as funny, catchy musical videos, or even motivational videos. Three of my favs are below!
A funny video will instantly brighten your mood and make studying seem less trying.
10. Finally, if you don’t have time to stop for long periods of time, break open a pack on M & Ms or Skittles and place on at the end of each page you have to read in your textbook. Once you read the page, enjoy the candy! You can do the same with math problems. Now you’ll want to keep going with this extra motivation.
Studying for hours on end is often unavoidable, but with these quick, enjoyable breaks, you will be ready and willing to tackle the homework ahead.