The student body of Wash U has been blessed with the wide-open freedom of Reading Week, a time to organize those note cards, outline that essay, and maybe even catch up on some sleep.
Right?
Unfortunately, many of us—myself included—have discovered that as soon as you sit down to start taking those practice exams, everything around you is suddenly bursting with entertainment value. And so, for any collegiettes in search of a study break and tired of fruitlessly refreshing their Facebooks, Her Campus has compiled a list of the top five ways—beyond the obvious internet sources—to put off studying for just five more minutes.
- Doing Your Nails. I tend to make the mistake of leaving all of my nail polish on the same desk I’m trying to study at. That gorgeous rainbow of bottles all neatly lined up can’t help but be way more appealing than the subjunctive tense, and, as a result, my nails tend to look really good during finals season . . .at least, they do for a few hours before I bite them all off in a blind panic when I realize the time I spent on that last coat of OPI glitter would have been put to better use actually looking at the practice exam.
- Taking Advantage of Free Food. Wash U does what it can to ease our finals-induced stress, from Stressbusters sessions to care packages to the endless opportunities for free food in various campus eateries. There’s been free coffee, cookies, fro-yo, and, of course, Moonlight Breakfast. Sure, you’ll have to leave your desk to get that late-night snack, but we’re all running low on meal points, and you deserve a break from all that cramming you’ve been doing. What better way to reward yourself than with a $1 drink special at Café Bergson?
- Cleaning Your Room. This week, even the most odious task becomes somehow exciting. You’d rather watch paint dry than pick up another study guide, and at least a little winter cleaning is productive. You’re going to have to do it at some point before you move out in May, and there’s no time like the present, right? Finals Week Cleaning tends to be distracted and disorganized, usually involving piling up all of your loose shoes in the back of your closet and jamming that lipstick you never wear anyway into your sock drawer when it doesn’t fit with the rest of your makeup.
- Exercise. This procrastination method actually can be productive as a way to reduce stress at the very least. The endorphins will boost your mood and help you focus when you do get back to studying, and a trip to the gym can always be topped off with a long, luxurious shower, which you probably need anyway after that all-nighter you pulled in the library. The whole excursion and clean-up time can take up a solid hour, but it’ll hopefully leave you feeling refreshed and ready to hit the books.
- Just Hanging Out. The biggest reality of these final days of Fall Semester is that we are all suffering together. No one wants to be studying, so it’s not hard to get distracted by friends we know we’re about to be separated from for almost a month. Whether you run into each other in Whispers, the DUC, or your own room, it’s always comforting to take just a little break to share your tales of sleep-deprived woe with someone who’s panicked, sunken eyes perfectly mirror your own.
Finals are a pretty big source of stress in every collegiette’s life, and we do deserve a break every now and then. Time flies when you have an exam in twelve hours and nothing to show for it but a stellar manicure, so one way or the other winter break will be here before we know it, when you can indulge guilt-free in whatever distractions you want!
Image courtesy of BeautyXOXO