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Plan, Plan, Plan
Finals hit you every semester, but not by surprise! You can take the punches if you plan ahead of time. You will also feel less stressed if you know there is a study plan to follow. For example if you have three finals in the same two weeks, you can allow 3-4 intensive study days for each finals (example: Monday to Thursday for Final 1 that is scheduled on Friday, Saturday to Monday for Final 2 that is scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday for Final 3 scheduled on that upcoming Friday). The length you allocate for each study sessions depends on how much material you need to go over. This method eliminates the risk of you studying for three finals all at once. You will retain all the information you need, take a test and move on to the next one.
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Ditch Coffee Shops For Quiet Rooms
Coffee shops are great – I use them all the time throughout the semester. However, when I really need to focus or I am studying harder content, quiet places like the library are better suited. Unless you can find a coffee shop that is relatively quiet, I suggest renting study rooms on campus. You can get a lot more done without distracting yourself with the conversation next to you or the loud latte machine.
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Study at decent hours
I took a psychology course this semester and one of the classes focused on sleep. Did you know that your ability to retain information is significantly weaker passed a certain hour? The later you stay awake the less information your brain will be able to retain. It’s tempting to pull an all-nighter and “get it over with”, but if you are hoping to memorize the information accurately and for a long period of time, study at decent hours of the day and let your brain rest at night. Again, it is all about planification!
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Take breaks
In between tests, allow yourself some time to recharge. If you cannot do a full-day, take a few hours off to nap, watch a few Netflix episodes or catch up with a friend. I found that I am more productive when I don’t isolate myself and study in the dark for days on end.
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Eliminate distractions
Brr, Brr, Brr! What’s that? It’s your phone, again, sending you countless notifications. Unless you are an extremely disciplined person, studying next to your phone is a huge mistake. Even on silent, you will still find yourself reaching for your phone. Harmless scrolling can turn into an hour-long procrastination session. Turn off your phone or lock it away! If you cannot afford to close your phone for family or work related reasons, use a distraction-eraser kind of application. My favorite one is called Flip’d – you can set a certain time for which your phone will hide all your extra applications and only leave you with the basics. Sessions can last from five minutes up to eight hours!