As finals week approaches (again, much to my dismay), I find myself wondering how on earth I have survived in the past and if I can somehow do it again.
The pre-finals week deadlines that dropped before Thanksgiving break left me pretty much on my death bed. The lack of sleep and stress of packing led me to get sick for the first time this semester and pretty much ruined my break.
Needless to say, I’m not planning to do that again.
I’ve had all sorts of finals weeks in the past. I’ve done the casual deadlines where assignments and papers are due before finals week even starts, and I can get out of here as soon as possible. I’ve also taken the last bus out of State College on the last day of finals week.
My sophomore year I went nocturnal and worked on my final papers from 5 p.m. until 4 a.m. in the Chambers Building for days. I’m not looking to do something like that again.
Now I’m old, recovering from being sick for two weeks and looking to make finals as stress-free as possible this year. Here’s how.
Now that football season is over, my weekends are free to spend a full day on the pesky final projects I always say I have time to do “later.” During the week, homework assignments usually take precedence over long-term tasks like projects, papers and studying for exams because their deadline is sooner.
Every time I sit down to work on something for finals week during the week, I end up getting pulled into another “more pressing” task to work on. Setting aside specific days of the week for a paper or project has always helped me manage my time better.
This semester it’s going to be Thursday and Saturday. Final exams, projects, papers, etc. will only be worked on and worried about during these days.
I already use this method for my honors thesis. Sunday is my designated day to work on thesis work and only thesis work for the same reasons as above. Now that my Saturdays have cleared up, I’m going to use that day to work on final exam preparation.
It might seem tough to work on final exams on a Saturday but if it comes down to being overworked during the week, waiting until the last minute or working on a couple Saturdays before going home for break, my mind is made up.
I always find it helpful to get out of my apartment when I’m studying or writing because while I’m in my space, I am way too easily distracted by my surroundings. One minute I’ll be typing up a sentence, and then I’ll decide I need to wash the dishes and bleach the floors to “help me think.”
Working in a public space helps to keep me accountable to my goals and work. The thought of sitting in a coffee shop or the library and scrolling on TikTok for three hours doesn’t seem as appealing as when I’m doing the same thing at home.
I always need coffee, a smoothie or some kind of drink with me when I start working. Mostly it serves as motivation to get me out of bed and out of the house. It’s like a reward.
The most important thing I am not going to do is stay up all night working! My nocturnal phase cured me of the delusion that I work better at night for good.
I’m going to work on the weekends, outside of my stuffy apartment with a sweet treat this finals week and I’m gonna like it.
I’m taking the pressure off this finals week and only stressing about final exams on my designated days of the week. For once, I’m not leaving all the work until the week before finals or during finals week. I’m starting early instead of worrying so much about how and when I will get everything done, setting a plan to just do it.
Going through six finals weeks at Penn State has taught me one glaring truth: I’m going to get the work done.
I am going to study before the exam, finish that extra long paper and ultimately do well. The goal for this finals season is to take the stress out of it as best I can before heading home for the holidays.