As we continue to move forward with the spring semester, it can sometimes be difficult to stay on top of deadlines and continue to stay motivated. Although procrastination can sometimes be easy to give into when your plate is full, we’re here to suggest some tried and true tips for keeping it at bay.
We know that everyone has different study habits or methods that work for them, so we’re going to try to give a variety of tips, and hopefully, you’ll find something that works for you!
First up, we have different planner or agenda options. I have tried a few digital and paper planner methods, and I’m going to share some of my favorites.
Depending on what you do on a day-to-day basis, you might consider a daily planner or a weekly planner. I usually use a weekly academic planner. I’ve been loving the planner that I got for this academic year from Erin Condren (they are out of the smaller academic planner that I use, but I have linked a similar one). One of my favorite things about this planner is that at the beginning of every month, there is a section for you to list major assignments and exams and their deadlines.
In terms of digital planners or studying options, there are a lot of great platforms that you can use. My two favorites have been Google Calendar and Notion. With my Google Calendar, I love that I can add classes, assignments and reminder notifications, club meetings and other events. Another benefit that I have found is that it’s easy to share a calendar with your friends and family. Whether you’re trying to coordinate your next socially distanced hang out with friends or a phone call back home to your parents, it’s so much easier to work when you know everyone’s schedules.
I just started using Notion this semester, and I absolutely fell in love. If you like the idea of bullet journaling but find that digital platforms work better for you, then this would be worth the try. Notion uses HTML coding so there is a lot on the website that you can customize to work for you. I chose to use a template from Study with Ara, and then I further customized it to work for me.
One of my favorite things on my Notion board is my master list table of assignments. I can sort it by assignment, class, deadline and I can even label my assignments as “complete,” “in progress” or “incomplete.”
One of the biggest challenges with studying or avoiding procrastination is finding the best times for focusing. I have figured out that I study best in the morning, and since I learned this, I was able to change my daily schedule to make time so that I could do my best work. Set some time aside so that you can figure out what time of day works best for you to study.
Also, it can sometimes be difficult to stay motivated for long periods of time. Whether you’re studying for your next big exam or even working on a long research paper, it might be hard to sit down and power through to finish your work. Try to set aside breaks! Even if it is just a quick break to grab some food, it always helps me to feel refreshed once I sit back down to continue studying.
No matter what though, try to find methods that work for you. There is no “one size fits all” study method or tip, and there is no wrong way to study or stay on top of your work. Good luck!