It’s getting to that time of year in the semester when deadlines are piling, the sun sets at 4pm, you debate going to lectures and seminars because of the constant rain, and all you want to do is spend your days curled up in bed and/or at a Christmas market. It’s for that reason that I’ve devised a list of tips of ways to help you stay motivated during this crunch-time, but also some of my favourite ways to relax and destress a little along the way.
The first tip I have may sound the least appealing but it’s one that I feel makes the most difference in my life, and that is to clean your room. Now, I understand how this can sound like just another task to add to your never-ending to-do list, but believe me when I say something as simple as re-organising a couple of things can make the world of difference. Whenever I feel myself starting to get increasingly overwhelmed a messy room usually only helps to exacerbate things. Stick some headphones on, make yourself a nice warm mug of your drink of choice, and start cleaning a little. It doesn’t have to be a massive deep clean or anything, but putting away the clutter, folding your clothes and giving yourself a clear desk space is the first step to get yourself in a new state of mind. It’ll make you feel like you’re in a new study space which in turn will only help to improve your focus and make you feel a lot calmer to tackle the rest of your study list.
Now that you have a lovely cleaned out desk space, you can move on to the next mind-detoxing activity – colouring. Adult colouring books felt like they took over people’s lives for a bit a few years back, but I’ve only recently started appreciating them. A habit I’ve gotten in to is setting aside some time on a Sunday where I like to put on a cheesy little film in the background while I get to work on my colouring session. It’s good to do something with your hands that doesn’t involve a keyboard. I recommend getting a book with thicker lines to colour in as those usually take up the least brain power. It’s not about making it look like the next Van Gogh, it’s just about giving you a couple of hours in the day to switch off and nurture other parts of your life besides just work.
If you’re anything like me, then you’ll also be using that lovely clean desk of yours for meal times despite having a fully functioning kitchen a few short steps away. That leads into my next tip: separate meal times from study time. It’s important to maintain a healthy work/personal life balance as much as possible, and the simplest way to do that is to have at least one meal per day in peace without thoughts of impending deadlines and readings clogging your brain. Eating on your desk probably isn’t the best way to achieve that, but you could put on an episode of whatever show your currently on, facetime some family or friends, or even just sit in silence. The important thing is to give yourself a minute after a long day of lectures and seminars to take a breath.
Alongside this arbitrary work/study divide, try to set a limit for yourself of no working after a certain hour in the evening. I know it can feel like staying up late to work is the perfect solution because ‘if you think about it that gives you 8+ uninterrupted hours to work so you must be able to get it all done’, but trust me it doesn’t. Yes, in theory you have more time to do the work, but you’ll be so tired that you’ll be working at a fraction of the speed you could be if you just did it during the day when you were fully awake. Instead, try to find a time in the evening to officially switch off. For me, this is usually around 8-10pm. It doesn’t always work, and sometimes you find yourself needing to stay up a little later and work a little harder, but for the most part cramming in as much work time as you can will actually do more harm than good.
Now, after you’ve had a restful few hours of sleep, another little tip I have is try do some work as soon as you wake up before doing anything else. Don’t get dressed, don’t clean up anything. Just wake up, wash your face, maybe grab a cup of coffee, stay nice and cosy in your pyjamas in bed and get your laptop out. You’ll be surprised how much more and how much faster you’re able to work when it’s in the morning before your brain has had the chance to think of doing anything else. I don’t understand the science behind it, but I just know it works. By getting some done first thing in the morning, you’re also freeing up a couple of hours for yourself later in the day. I’m not suggesting sitting in bed all day to work, but try it for 30-minutes to an hour and see how much you’re able to get done.
Of course, throughout these little study and cleaning sessions it’s important to remember to schedule some time in for some fresh air. Early morning, afternoon or evening it doesn’t matter, just try to get yourself out of your room for an hour or so each day. Listen to some music or just listen to the nature around you, but breathing in some fresh air is vital in maintaining a semi-positive mindset.
At the end of the day the main piece of advice is to try (as much as you can) to not let work overtake other parts of your life. Prioritise the work, but don’t lose yourself along the way. This is a time in your life to work hard but also a time to nurture new/ existing friendships, try new things and make some new memories. You can’t do that if you’re constantly overthinking and overstressing over the next deadline. Easier said than done, I know, bit I hope these tips can at least work as a stepping stone to help you compartmentalise and relax a little more, so you can soak in all that holiday joy.