1) Make a plan
There is nothing worse than cramming a study session in before that last midterm or putting together the final presentation in the night before. While this is not usually ideal, before the weeks of finals It just adds to the stress! And by the time you get to finals, you are already exhausted. So work ahead. Even if your presentation is Friday, plan to get it done Monday, so that by Tuesday (because we all know that the chances of it ALL being done 4 days in advance are minimal) you will have it ready. Then, come Thursday night, you can go over it, tweak it, and Friday will be perfect.
This also means planning out when you start studying for each midterm, and leaving room for the breaks, the distractions and the days when you are just too exhausted.
2) Work Ahead
Even if you plan to do something a certain day, if there is a time on an earlier occasion when you are free, start getting some of your work done. Anything extra you do today is a gift for yourself tomorrow. If you put in 5 minutes today, you will have those extra five minutes to sleep in tomorrow (and we all know that those 5 minutes more of sleep is EXACTLY what you need!)
3) Say Bye to Yesterday
Don’t worry about the build up or what you did not get done. There is enough going on already, and beating yourself up for what you haven’t done is not going to help anyone. Give yourself credit for what you have done (Hey, you are almost done with the semester!!) and look at what you can do. If your B is fixed, and there is no way it can make it an A, work hard enough to make it a good B. You never know how curves or grades will change and all you can do at any point is to give it your best.
4) Shake It Off
Yes literally. Go for a run, do some pilates or dance to Taylor Swift. Don’t let the stress environment get to you. When you find things building up, and it becomes too much to handle, just take that 30 minute break, blast some music, and zone out. It may seem like a waste of time, and you may be too tired for it, but these 30 minutes will help get your energized, take your mind of the stress and put things in perspective.
5) Allow Yourself Time Off
You know you deserve it. If you can’t work any longer, or if you feel yourself slowing down, shut the book and do something you love (or need!). Take a nap, listen to music, watch a show, read, or eat some ice cream! Also, a lot yourself time off! When you know it is coming, you know you have something to look forward to!! In this time off, don’t worry about what you have left, how much you have done, or where you are. Not studying and still stressing about studying, or how much work you have, has the negative effect of taking a break. Not only are you not doing work, you are getting yourself more upset about it while trying to relax. So stop worry, take a breath and realize that this break is necessary. Make a conscious effort to NOT think about college stuff, or stuff that would make your feel worse, and do something that will make you laugh!
6) Allot Time for Love Actually
It is almost Christmas, (well relatively, looking at where the semester started and the fact that Thanksgiving is over). After a long week, or a tough day, when there is nothing more you can possibly do, or when you decide to take a longer break, curl up, call a few friends, and geek out on Hugh Grant’s dance moves. If that isn’t enough motivation, the film also features the hobbit (aka John Watson! For the Sherlock fans) and Alan Rickman!! (Snape is that you?) This movie is perfect to make you laugh, forget about everything else (for a bit) and get you excited for the holidays. Showing you that break is coming soon, and getting you excited for the holiday season will give you the last bit of motivation you need to get through finals! And let’s just say, if we had a prime minister, Hugh Grant would definitely be top choice!
7) Sleep
No one realizes the importance of sleep till they have no time for it. Therefore, when you do, get as much of it as you can. It is inevitable to be stressed (whether a little or a lot) finals week, but don’t jump the gun. While getting you work done is very important, getting enough sleep the week before is important too! If you are already running on low rest, finals week will be MUCH harder. So get all your work done and out of the way, and instead of spending that hour on Facebook, go to bed. Facebook will survive without you, trust me, it will, and you will thank yourself for the extra hours when you can’t quite get as much sleep as you need. While sleeping before being well rested going into finals is important, this does not mean not sleeping then! Sleep consistently (7-9 hours… okay try to get at least 6!) and make it your second priority. We all know the results are beneficial!!
In Conclusion…
So work hard but give yourself breaks. Understand this is a semester ending, and one semester will not define your life!! Yesterday is gone, forget about what has been done and move on. What is going to come tomorrow is going to come, thinking of valid reasons to skip the final won’t make any of them work! Acceptance is the key. Understand that you have today, and do all you can. Study as much as possible, rest as much as possible, and balance this with some time to distress! Plan out everything, and remember, anything you do today is a gift for yourself tomorrow!! That extra hour of sleep, those five minutes of meditation or reading a chapter more than you were supposed to today, will all help out tomorrow! Enjoy your last week, and go into finals ready to do your best! Believe in yourself and make yourself proud!!