The end of the semester can often be the most stressful. There is always just so much left to do, and you never have enough time to do it — not to mention, finals week is just around the corner. On top of all of that, you still can’t keep from day dreaming about warm beaches and tan lines while you’re supposed to be studying. For these reasons, along with many others, we often see each other struggling to pull through these last few weeks. Here are some tips that might just help to make this awful final stretch just a little less awful:.
Get Into a Routine: A lot of people already have a routine set for their semester, with planned study times and whatnot. However, if you’re anything like me, you just kind of randomly throw your schedule around to fit whatever you need done at that time. This doesn’t always work out as the best method during these final weeks because you lose all motivation to do anything. This is when routine becomes crucial. Make sure you map out your day way before it gets here. Set aside specific times for you to get your studying done, and actually make yourself do it. This is always a little easier than just saying, “I’ll get to it later” because you will never actually get to that “later.”
Keep a Planner: A planner is also a good idea to have for the whole semester, but if you don’t already keep one, this is the perfect time to start. There is always so much you have to get done, and with so many deadlines coming up, it’s almost impossible to get by without one. It’s so useful to organize all of your assignments, and when you have it all laid out for you, it’s a lot easier to plan study time around the rest of your busy schedule. Plus, planners are cute accessories and fun to doodle in.
Avoid Procrastination: The end of the semester is always the time when even the most studious people start to fall behind. The sunshine is calling your name, and you’re starting to lose motivation, so procrastinating just becomes too easy. Don’t fall for it!!! Procrastinating assignments always sounds like a good idea at the time, but it always bites you in the butt when you’re up until 3:00 a.m. stress-crying and trying to finish your final paper the night before it’s due. Procrastinating is an epidemic on college campuses everywhere, but with the right tools and motivation, you can push through it and avoid all of that extra stress.Â
Diet & Exercise: Eating right and regularly exercising has been proven to help eliminate stress, and we have no shortage of stress in our lives! By eating good foods, you will just feel better and actually have more energy than you will from fast foods. It’s important to avoid 5th Avenue at all costs, so you won’t be tempted by McDonald’s and the ever-enticing Chipotle. Along with a good diet, exercise will also increase the energy you have throughout the day by getting your blood pumping and waking up your sleepy body. Plus, good diet and exercise will help get your bikini body ready for some after-finals celebrations ;)
Change of Scenery: Nobody gets excited to study; in fact, most people dread it. There are times you would rather gouge your eyes out than look at one more page of notes. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding the hours of studying every college kid has to endure, but there are ways to make them a little less miserable. Try switching up the places where you study. You can only look at the library wall so many times before you lose your mind. You could try a nice little bench under a shady tree, spread out a blanket on the lawn, or maybe a little corner in a café would work for you. You are a lot less likely to get bored and daydream if you study in different places. That way, you will be able to get more done instead of thinking about a shirtless Zac Efron when you’re supposed to be studying.
Allow Time for Yourself: Even though there is a ton to get done, it’s also important to make time for yourself as well. No one can study all day, every day without going insane. Like we already mentioned, it’s important to get into a routine and plan study time, but make sure you have some fun plans, too. Plan a night out with friends, a trip to the mall or a nice dinner with a significant other. Your classes are important, but so are you, and if you want to survive these next few weeks, you need to remember that. Just don’t get too drunk because you still have to study tomorrow.
Find a Friend: Even with all of these tips and the mindset to succeed, after a few days, your motivation is going to start to waiver. Make sure you have a friend with whom you can share all of these tips and your plans to follow through with them, and you can help keep each other going. We all have our days when we decide it’s not worth it and we are going to drop out and marry rich, so we need a good friend there to be our voice of reason to keep pushing us on. I promise if you follow these tips and help each other through, then these next few weeks will fly by. Then, you will look back and be thankful that you had your BFF there to convince you to keep going. Of course, even though giving up and dropping out probably wasn’t your best idea, you might have been on to something about marrying rich. ;)
Good Luck, Ladies! XoXo