The half-point of the semester can be viewed in two different ways. On the one hand, some might be thinking, ‘We’re already halfway through the semester!’ while on the other hand, others are staring at their calendar in disbelief, saying, ‘We’re only halfway through the semester!”
Admittedly, I jump between both mindsets depending on my workload. Some days, I feel energized and ready to tackle my homework. Other days, however, I just want to read a book or hang out with friends.
College has taught me the importance of time management, or rather, learning how to schedule and complete equally important tasks. That said, despite being able to organize my schedule, it can be difficult to stay motivated for every task. Especially when we still have half of the semester to go!
The first thing I would recommend is making sure you fit time in your schedule to do work. If you overexert yourself and pile too many other commitments into your day, you wind up feeling stressed and overwhelmed. By the time you do have space in your day to do work, you feel too exhausted to even begin typing your essay or opening your textbook. I would recommend giving yourself at least two hours of dedicated work time. Set your phone aside and tell yourself that, once you reach the two-hour mark, you will allow yourself to take a break. This helps me stay motivated because I know there is an ending in sight.
The other thing I try to do is remind myself that, if I don’t do some of the work now, I’m going to have to do it later. And by the time later rolls around, I will have more new work to complete. So, why not finish what I can now? Even doing a little at a time – reading a few pages throughout the day instead of all at once – can help you feel like you’re accomplishing something without overdoing it. It’s also good to begin working on the toughest assignment as soon as you can so that you can get it out of the way. Plus, once you’ve made some headway on that, you’re in the headspace to keep working on other assignments!
Thirdly, I always like to ask myself, “If I finish my work now, what will it give me time to do later?” say, for instance, that I want to read a book or watch a show. If I finish my work now, I can do both or either of these activities without the stress of unfinished homework looming over my head. All in all, it’s a much better feeling!
Don’t worry if it’s been difficult for you to stay motivated – we’ve all been there! Especially with the added stress of the pandemic and meeting friends and staying safe. There is a lot to keep in mind nowadays! But just know that you can do this and that we’re going to be through the halfway point shortly.