This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oregon chapter.
Finals week might be the most dreaded week for any college student. Make it a little bit more bearable by following these simple tips! (Disclaimer: please don’t use this as a form of procrastination get those A’s, collegiettes!)
- Use sites or apps that block you from viewing certain websites. Let’s face it, most of our Facebook stalking happens when we are supposed to be doing other things. These sites or apps allow you to block websites for periods of time. It forces you to study and stay on track. “Self Control” is an application that you can download onto your computer, and it will block whatever websites you want for however long you chose. Try blocking Facebook for an hour, and see how much you get done! There are even apps that allow you to block phone numbers for a certain period of time. Sorry Mom, gotta study!
- Don’t be afraid to take naps! Don’t let yourself get burnt out, especially if you are pulling frequent all-nighters. Taking a 30 minute nap a couple of times a day can help you reboot, and your mind will be able to relax a little. Studies show that naps can make up for a bad night’s sleep, as well as lead to productivity. So get productive ladies, that biology final isn’t going to pass itself!
- Read complicated material before you nap. Studies show that reading complicated material before a nap helps you better retain the information. So if you are going to take a nap, try and cram in some of the more dense information first. That way, you won’t feel bad about your nap! (Who doesn’t love naps?)
- Find a friend who has a puppy and ask if you can play with it. Stimulate your brain by petting and playing with an adorable furball! Finals can be so stressful, so petting an animal for just 15 minutes can make you happier and feel more positive about all of that studying you have to do.
- If you are going to the library, pack snacks! You don’t want there to be excuses holding you back from studying, and food shouldn’t be one of those! Chances are that if you are cramming to study, you are forgetting to eat. When you don’t have enough food in your system, you can get tired and lazy. Keep your energy up by always having food with you. Try keeping it healthy by picking up a Luna bar, some celery with peanut butter, a banana, or chocolate covered almonds. Finals aren’t an excuse to throw all the swimsuit work you’ve done out the window!
- Make a good playlist. Music can make all of the difference. I like to keep upbeat music like Daft Punk, Luke Bryan, or Ke$ha on my study playlist. Sometimes getting up and dancing makes all the difference! But keep some mellow music on that playlist, too. The Lord of The Rings soundtrack is great because it doesn’t have a lot of lyrical music that you have to pay attention to, and the calm music will help you focus.
- Substitute coffee with caffeinated tea. Coffee can have a lot of calories, unless you’re drinking it black. Tea, however is calorie-free! Just don’t add creamer or sugar, and there are millions of flavors out there to try!