Happy Thanksgiving break! Hopefully, you don’t have too many assignments and you can relax and enjoy your week off with family and friends. However, it’s never too early to start planning ahead to make your finals week(s) less chaotic. A little bit of organization can go a long way! Here are my top tips to get ahead.
1. Create a study schedule
If you take one thing away from this article, this is my number one piece of advice. It takes less than fifteen minutes to sit down and schedule blocks of time where you will only study one specific subject, but it will save you so much stress later on when you know for sure that you have time to study for everything.
2. Don’t abandon your routines
It might be tempting to spend every minute of the study period staring at notes, but no one can truly concentrate for that long. A great way to make sure that you don’t overwork yourself is to take breaks to engage in your self-care routine. An hour spent doing a fun workout class or taking care of your overflowing laundry pile will make you feel productive and refreshed when you go back to studying.
3. Get your notes ready
There’s nothing worse than sitting down to study and spending an hour on just preparing your study materials. While you’re traveling over break, pass the time by making flashcards, quizlets, or whatever other study guides you like to use. Once you’re back, you can dive into studying right away.
4. Stock up on the essentials
Finals season is a really common time to get sick for a lot of reasons: less sleep, more stress, and a change in routine. To prepare yourself, make sure you have snacks that will fill you up and make you feel good, vitamin C supplements and hand sanitizer, and a water bottle to refill and keep you hydrated.
Prepping for finals early is not as painful as it sounds — I promise! You will definitely thank yourself later if you start preparing yourself, mentally and physically, ahead of time.