If your family is anything like mine, they all get together for Easter dinner, which means you go home to your parents’ house for a few days to join them during exam season. And if you’re anything like me, you find it very hard to study at home with your family on a regular day, and even more so on a holiday when your whole family is there to spend time together. Obviously, this is a bit of a problem if you still have final exams next week. But there are a few things you can do to make it easier:
Create a realistic weekend study schedule.
Setting specific goals for yourself for what you want to accomplish each day can help keep you on track so you don’t end up procrastinating all weekend. However, it’s important to keep them realistic.
Acknowledge that you will likely want to spend some time with your family and therefore probably won’t get quite as much done in a day as you would during a distraction-free study day in Waterloo. And that’s okay. It’s better to set goals you can achieve than to set overly-ambitious study plans that you will inevitably fall behind on and get discouraged over.
Isolate yourself as necessary.
Despite knowing better, I am often guilty of attempting to study on the couch in my parents’ living room. It’s all good until someone else comes in and turns on the TV or starts playing video games. Next thing I know, it’s been two hours and I’ve read one page.
Avoid those distractions by purposely staying in your room or somewhere else away from the rest of your family when you’re studying. You’ll get so much more done and then you’ll be able to fully enjoy family time when you do join them.
Dedicate time for breaks.
School is important, but family and mental health are important too. Don’t try to spend your entire weekend studying or you’ll just end up losing focus and/or feeling resentful at having to study when you want to enjoy your time at home.
Take at least a brief break to get up and stretch your legs every hour or so. Be sure to also plan some longer breaks to spend quality time with your family (and eat some Easter candy!). After all, Easter is a celebration and should be treated as such.
Have a great Easter/long weekend and good luck on your remaining exams!