It’s that time of year again, the leaves are falling, and so are my grades (sorry Mom). If you are like me and have hit your mid semester slump, I’m here to help you. As a professional procrastinator, I can assure you that these study tips are easy and will not force you to stop doing all the other things you like doing. On the contrary, these tips will help you get your homework and studying done more efficiently so that you can do all those other things that your parents don’t want to hear about (again, sorry Mom).
1. Schedule your study times
As weird as it sounds scheduling out your study times will ensure that you actually study. Think of your school days as a workday your classes are appointments, and in between are your independent work where you can study. Having a more strict schedule will help you get all your homework and studying done so you can do other things in the evenings.
- Turn off your notifications
This is so hard for most of us to do, we want to have our phones on and talk to everyone or be on social media, but it really breaks your concentration. Turn your notifications off for 25 minutes and give yourself a 5-minute break to see what’s going on outside the library.
- Get your sleep in check
In college no one is telling you to go to bed. If you want to stay up until 4 AM baking cookies no one is stopping you. You should try to go to bed at least 9 hours before your class, giving you 8 hours of sleep and an hour to get up and be ready for class, or hit snooze 5 times and head to class in your PJs.
- Set an earlier due date
If you are like me and have a procrastination problem, try setting your own due dates. I typically go for 24 hours before the actual due date. The plus side is you can still procrastinate up to that point, but if you need some extra help from your professor, you aren’t emailing them the night before the assignment is due.
- Make it fun
Be careful not to burn yourself out by going too hard. Invite a friend over to study or go to the library together! My favorite thing is to go to Starbucks to study and have a treat while I am writing a paper!