I don’t know about everyone else, but I am exhausted! Mind, body, and soul, I’m tired. I tapped out sometime around spring break and to be perfectly honest I just haven’t been able to bring back the same level of productivity and motivation that I had before. But with that being said, I really want to ride out the rest of the month strong and for the rest of the semester be an absolute academic weapon! That of course is easier said than done….but i’m trying nonetheless. I figured I can’t possibly be the only one feeling this way so I figured I would share some of the things I am doing to try and end this semester on a good note.
Writing it down
One of the things I am doing to help myself find more motivation to get things done is keeping a to-do list and physically writing out what I need to get done for the day. This way I can better keep track of my assignments and their due dates and also physically cross it off a list. The act of actually being able to cross something off my list is really reassuring and works as a good reminder that I don’t have to actively worry about it anymore. Now I don’t know about everyone else but I for some reason or another find this extremely rewarding and satisfying too. Personally, I have been writing everything down in a journal but you could use anything from a composition notebook to a sticky note. Really anything works as long as you have space to write everything that you need to get done.
Finding the right playlist
I’ve also been using music to help keep my mood up. This might be an obvious one but it really works. I’ve been listening to some of my favorite music that is also a bit more upbeat and fast paced and honestly it has been helping me keep a more positive vibe throughout the day.
Some quick recommendations:
Taking What’s Not Yours – TV Girl
So It Seems – The Natterjacks
Grow – HOAX
I can’t explain it, but these songs give me an insane need to be productive.
Changing your environment
Now, for my major I have more final projects then I do final exams so I can’t really give you all any valuable study tips but one piece of advice that I will share with you is the importance of getting up when you feel tired and start moving. As someone who lives off campus, I can’t just go back to my dorm throughout the day and take breaks. With that being said, that makes for some really long days on campus since I have some pretty big breaks in between my classes. I have learned that instead of studying in one place for an extended period of time, it’s more beneficial to just get up when I’m feeling tired and move somewhere else to get a change of scenery. For some, this might just be more of a hassle then anything but moving to different study spots gives me a little break and excuse to go outside for a bit and get some fresh air. Especially with finals coming up, we’ll all be spending more time out doing work so this could be worth trying. A couple hours at the library, a couple hours in an unused classroom and so on, it’s just a good way to keep your body moving instead of staying indoors all day and it usually helps me clear my mind a bit too.
Find something to look forward to
Something else that I have been doing is making sure that I have something to look forward to everyday. Whether it’s getting a coffee, hanging out with a friend or even just watching an episode of my favorite TV show, it’s really important for me to have an actual reward that i’m working toward and gives me a reason to get all my work done in a specific time frame. Just setting some time aside at the end of the day and doing something I enjoy or doing a hobby also helps give my brain a bit of a break and allows myself to (somewhat) relax.
Keeping it real
I think that the most important thing for me is to just be realistic. I am fully aware that I will not get everything done perfectly and not everything is going to go the way I want it to. As much as I would love to just take one day and finish all my work for the upcoming weeks, that’s just not possible for me. I am doing what I can, when I can and I, along with everyone else, am just doing the best I can and honestly, that’s good enough for me.