It’s that time of the semester again! Finals week is here and although circumstances may be different, the stress feels all the same (possibly even worse). Rather than cramming last-minute information in the middle of Strozier at 2 A.M. with friends, we’re faced with the newfound challenge of having to study from home. I’m the master of procrastinating, especially when it comes to studying, so I know first-hand that finding motivation can be near impossible sometimes. Here are a few tips I’ve learned that help me get in the mood to study!
Getting out of bed
Whoever came up with the concept of studying or doing homework in bed must have either been out of their mind or just ridiculously motivated. Doing anything school-related in bed whether it be zoom classes, studying, writing papers…it’s like you’re asking to lose focus. I don’t entirely know the mechanics behind this but one of the first things I learned in therapy was that because we associate beds with sleeping, doing schoolwork in bed interrupts both sleeping and studying habits. Case in point, don’t study in bed. Beds are for sleeping.
Plan out a schedule
This is useful for more than just finals week but it’s especially useful when you’re faced with the task of having to study for five different exams at the same time. Google calendar is seriously your best friend. Make a study schedule for the week and input everything into Google calendar because it will seriously make life so much easier if you’re able to see a color-coded layout of what your week will look like. I personally like to separate each class by color and, in between, add any study breaks or places that I have to see so that I can hold myself accountable to staying on task. Google calendar also does this wonderful thing where they’ll send reminders to your phone and computer before a scheduled event starts. This makes it so that if I lose focus, I can intentionally make myself feel extremely guilty for it once I get the “five minutes until: start studying for philosophy” notification. If digital calendars aren’t your thing, you can also always use a planner or desk pad. Anything where you can visibly see a schedule will prove itself to be extremely useful.
Leave your room
Studying in my room or apartment is a personal recipe for disaster because I get distracted by anything and everything. Although most of the study spaces on campus are closed (sad face), there are definitely multiple outside resources at our disposal. Apartment building study rooms, Landis Green and local coffee shops are all great places to study comfortably and without risk of distraction.
Here are a few local places to study at:
- Greenwise Market
- Catalina Cafe
- Serenity Coffee and Kava Bar
- The Sweetshop
- All Saints Cafe
- Tally Cat Cafe
- Lucky Goat Coffee
Accountability buddies
If you can’t be trusted to hold yourself accountable, finding an accountability buddy might be a good idea. This can either be someone who studies with you or even just someone to send you the occasional text to make sure you’re staying focused. I’ve definitely asked friends to do this for me in the past and although it’s a small effort, it makes a big difference to have someone making sure you’re getting stuff done instead of wasting time scrolling through social media.
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