The beginning of the semester means back to classes and back to studying. If you’re like most of us, studying also means procrastinating, and procrastinating means late nights. Before you know it, you’ve amassed an inconceivable amount of work due tomorrow, and you’re staring down the barrel of an all-nighter.
All-nighters are a tricky business, but sometimes a necessary evil. You can either bang out an entire paper start to finish, or end up falling asleep on your textbook at 4 in the morning, screwing up your sleep cycle and having nothing to show for it. Or even worse, end up staring dry-eyed at Buzzfeed for two hours, telling yourself you’ll get to work right after this next article.
Bottom line, procrastinating is bad. But if you ever find yourself realizing that it’s going to be one of those nights, here are a few tips from an expert to maximize your effort. After all, you’re giving up sleep for this – might as well make it as productive as possible.
1. Prep – Get rid of any and all distractions. These include tangible and intangible distractions. Clear off a cluttered desk and put your phone on airplane mode if you really can’t bear to shut it off. With less crap lying around vying for your attention, you’ll be forced to focus on the task at hand.
2. Find Company, if Possible – It’s so easy to doze off if you’re alone in a room listening to the hum of the fluorescent lights all by yourself. If you can find a friend who’s staying up, work side by side, talk every now and then, and just essentially encourage each other to not give up.
3. Get Comfy – But not too comfy! This is a fine line; too comfortable means dozing off, but not comfortable enough means being unable to focus. Don’t lie down in bed – too tempting to go right to sleep. Instead, sit in a straight-back chair with a desk in front of you. Some people wear itchy wool socks or keep a rubber band on their wrist to snap when they feel themselves getting drowsy. A little bit of discomfort keeps you alert.
4. Keep Your Computer Light Dim – Fun Fact: Too bright a light will strain your eyes and make them even more tired and heavy. Keeping it dim will avoid stressing them out.
3. Drink – No, of course not alcohol, but also try not to drink caffeine or energy drinks either. These may seem like a good idea, but the jittery kick isn’t all that healthy plus it leads to an ultimate crash, if not that night then in class the next day. Instead, have a full glass or two of ice water every hour. It keeps you alert, and honestly, getting up to go the bathroom will only help you stay awake and active.
4. Listen to Music – Some people like total silence, but a lot of us need a little background noise, something to keep you up but not distracted. Catchy songs with lyrics may succeed in keeping you awake, but sometimes it’s hard to listen without wanting to sing along and just enjoy the music. Pick something you’re unfamiliar with, maybe something just instrumental. This keeps the silence from being distracting, but the music from being distracting, too.
5. Eat – Chances are, you will get hungry. Obviously, avoid junk foods, anything too salty or sugary. You will definitely feel like crap tomorrow due to lack of sleep, but you don’t want to feel gross and bloated on top of it. Something crunchy and healthy, like an apple or carrot sticks are guilt-free and require aggressive chewing—also helpful in keeping you alert.
6. Reward Yourself – Every hour or so, give yourself ten minutes to chill. Listen to that catchy music, surf the web, get up and run around, whatever works. Keep a timer on your screen to encourage you to keep going. Whenever you catch yourself straying from your work, click over to your timer and remember – only X minutes until you can do whatever you want!
All-nighters are like cavities: they suck and you always end up being all like “how did I let it come to this?!” But, in the end, they can happen to the best of us, and you’re going to want to address them successfully. Hopefully these tips can help you actually get something done on your next all-nighter!
Good luck Collegiettes!