It’s the most crunchiest time of the year! With deadlines coming and the professors telling you to study, it’s the absolute worst time of the year!
Yes, it’s finals time. That time when those projects and tests on the last page of the syllabus are suddenly upon you like the White Walkers at Hard Home. However, the panic hasn’t exactly set in yet so most of us are probably sitting there watching Netflix thinking “I’ve still got time.”
Well, I’m here to tell you that that is not the most fantastic idea to have right now. Your professors are probably handing out final dates like Oprah, along with papers or projects that need to be done before class ends. Now is the time to do and not to put off, so here’s some tips on how to not get distracted.
1) Put the phone down.
Now I know I sound like your grandmother at a holiday dinner with that one, but it’s probably the best thing you can do. Your phone can do things like contact the outside world when you probably need to focus on researching an Arthurian legend or something. Just put it on silent and keep it face down. If you’re still finding yourself looking at it every time it lights up, stick it behind your laptop. That way it’s within reach if there’s an emergency, but you don’t see every notification while you’re trying to concentrate.
2) Get a change of scenery.
This one might be a little harder to do because no one really wants to leave the comfort of their beds when they know they’re going to be doing work for four hours. It is, however, the absolute best thing that you can do. Your room is great, but the next thing you know, you’re three episodes deep into Stranger Things and have only a sentence written. Go someplace that forces you to work. Be with other people who are doing work too so it won’t be as lonely as locking yourself in the library. If you’ve sat in a place and you’re beginning to hate that painting you’ve stared at for three hours, walk to another place. That small stretch and change will bring your concentration back.
3) Plan out your breaks.
Yes, I’m telling you to take a break. Take a lot of breaks. Don’t turn your brain to goo trying to hammer out a twelve-page paper in four hours. When you do take a break though, set limits. Set a timer to work for an hour or so and then take a twenty minute break to scroll through Tumblr or Facebook. If you work for two hours, watch a Parks and Rec episode on Netflix. Keep the breaks short and give your brain room to breathe. It’ll be better for you in the end.
4) Time your projects.
Time management is hard. It’s annoying, it’s tedious, and, if you’re disorganized like me, it’s easy to find all the due dates. Let me tell you though, it takes a load off your shoulders when you figure out what to do when. Sit down, schedule out everything you have due, and then figure out a gameplan so you’re not feeling overwhelmed at the end of it all. If you need help, sit down with one of your more organized friends who is willing to help you. If you have a calendar, use it to plan out your day. Having a plan is better than going in guns a-blazing without a clue.
5) Reward yourself afterwards.
Plan a little something nice for yourself after you get those pesky papers done. It can be anything from bingeing that new Netflix series about Queen Elizabeth to going out with your friends for the night. Either way, it’s a nice thing to look forward to after you’re done and it gives you a little motivation to do your work so you can get that reward. Let it be something you love too, so you want it even more.
These few weeks are going to be nuts, but you can’t let yourself fall behind because you’re not feeling that panic yet. Be sure to give yourself lots of breaks and to not shut yourself in somewhere with no contact with anyone though – that would actually make your life a lot worse. Now, just breathe and give yourself a little peace when you start.