About a week ago, Notre Dame students eagerly anticipated Thanksgiving break, with no classes and maybe a chance to visit friends and family for the holiday. It might also be considered a time to catch up on classwork before the craziness of finals sets in.
However, it can be hard to motivate yourself to do schoolwork when you’re not in school. Certainly no one’s expecting you to do work on Thanksgiving day itself! However, now that Thanksgiving 2015 has passed us by, you may be thinking, “the break is almost over, and I still haven’t gotten anything done yet!”
Never fear, for there’s still time to accomplish some or all of your goals for the break, thus lightening your workload when you start up the last few weeks of the semester. I’ve compiled a few tips for being productive during the rest of the break.
Make a plan, and stick to it
Looking at all the work to be done as one giant unit can be really intimidating and stressful. However, if you divide the workload beforehand, it doesn’t seem as impossible a task to achieve. Make a list of daily tasks so that you have a plan for chipping away at your workload. You can also divide bigger assignments over a couple of days, such as a paper or a project.
Another way to organize your daily task is by subject. For example, you can get all of your Calculus work done on one day and tackle a Psychology project the next day. Choose whatever method works best for you, or create your own way of organizing work to be done.
If you have to push some things back to next week or even Christmas break (such as an application due Jan/Feb), don’t be afraid to do so. You know best what you’re capable of, and if you plan ahead to do some things now and others later, you can better focus on the work that you want to do immediately. Just make sure to really try to stick to the plan you make; otherwise, it won’t be effective as a work strategy.
Location, Location, Location
It can be hard to be productive if your workspace has a lot of distractions. Find a space where you feel that you can get a lot of work done. Maybe you know of a really quiet area in your house, for example.
If you stayed at Notre Dame for the break, you could bring everything you need for the day to a building that you know you can work really well in, such as Club Hes. Maybe you could set a goal that you won’t return to your dorm until you get all or a certain amount of work done (although, if you work really well in your dorm, work there! Do what’s best for you!)
It’s okay to take breaks from schoolwork
Study breaks may seem counter-productive, but taking breaks now and then can prevent you from being too worn out from schoolwork. Also, a break can leave you more refreshed and focused when you return to work, making you more productive overall.
Make a snack. Watch a holiday movie on Netflix. Take a well-deserved nap. You can even set study breaks as “mini-goals” to work towards if you want. For example, you can think to yourself, “After I finish solving 3 pages of Chemistry problems, I’ll go make myself some hot chocolate.”
I hope these tips help to decrease your workload for your return to Notre Dame. However, don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get as much work done as you had originally planned. Spending quality time with loved ones, or simply relaxing from school stress is NOT a waste of time!!! Really, that’s what break is intended for, so however you end up spending your time, know that you spent your time well! Enjoy the rest of break, and good luck during these last few weeks before Christmas vacation!