As the year draws to a close it can be extremely difficult to focus on the last assignments even though they carry a significant portion of your grade. This unfortunate fact is just another way Universities can unnecessarily up your stress—but until that changes, here’s how to deal with it.
The single thing that has helped me the most is getting a semester-long calendar with all my big due dates on it. It can be hard to stay motivated when the deadlines are two weeks away, but when it’s on paper those deadlines become very real. Start planning backwards from the date of the last final and watch how the hours fill up magically. Before you know it, you have all the motivation you need.
Keep your calendar fluid. Build in a little extra time (not too much, or that elusive motivation goes out the window!) so that when unexpected social events or setbacks occur it doesn’t wreck your entire plan. You’ll know by planning backwards how many of those unexpected events your schedule can manage.
Write next to the assignment deadline bolded and italicized the percentage of the grade the assignment is worth. There is something about seeing 35% next to an essay that gives me the motivation to proof read it one more time or begin the assignment one day sooner. As we all know, it’s those small things that can make the difference between a B and an A.
Schedule in time for yourself. You will burn out very quickly if you only work, work, work. Whether that means going to the gym or taking a long bath, or even taking the time to clean up your dorm. Whatever gives you peace of mind, do it, even if it counter intuitively takes time away from what you feel you should be doing most!
Keep your friends in the loop. The only thing more rewarding than a job well done at the end of a semester is celebrating with friends who have seen you through the stress and hardships along the way. When you’re feeling depressed about how many assignments you have due and how stressed out you are, call up a friend to vent (just make sure to do the same for him/her!).
Good luck getting through Finals!
-WonderBread
I’m reading Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data
photo via clog.dailycal.org
Finals are almost here and the last thing anyone wants to do is study (ew). The sound of studying just makes you want to curl up into a ball or go hide. The good news is campuses have a few ways to escape the studying and take a break. The activities are all across campus and they start during the most bittersweet week of the year, DEAD WEEK. No tests, no homework, just studying (ew again). Start looking around for these breaks and take note of them; you might just want to check them out. A few things that could be happening around your campus:
- PAWS for stress relief- with this you can take a break from studying and go play with service puppies! I know I’d want to spend an afternoon meeting new friends.
- A lot of places around campus might have a “chill” day or a “kick-back” day where you can just take the afternoon off and go eat free food, play games and possibly when door prizes! Look at the library, alumni groups, activities boards or any kind of campus group and I’m sure you will find something! And most of the time there is one everyday a week, so just make you rounds!
- Often campuses offer Massage on the go (MOTG) where you can enjoy a free 5 minute massage to take the stress off. I mean, who wouldn’t want that?
- Another thing to look out for is a student-teacher-student reception. This is an exhibition of a lot of different artwork done by the students on campus. Take a break from the stress and go check it out. Plus, there is almost always free food and I know that’s what everyone wants.
Start looking around your campus and see what you can do procrastinate from studying for finals! There are a lot of fun things to do, if you just find the right ones. Go out and get your freebies so you can stop stressing about finals. Good luck!
This is a guest post from our Internet Marketing Intern Haeli. Many thanks to her!
It’s been a while since I’ve had a real “bedtime”, but the further along I go in college, the more I think I need to set one. It becomes difficult to get a goodnight’s sleep when you’re on the go, doing assignments, and running at full speed as most us college co-eds often do! So how can you prioritize and make sure you are getting the right amount of Z’s and at the right time?
It seems all too often that I’m wide awake at night, scurrying to get a paper done or finishing a quick project. By the time I’m done studying and putting things away and ready for the next day, the clock has long since struck 12 and the wee hours of the morning are upon me. So how do I get in that mess? How do I let the hours slip away? By going to sleep so late and not paying attention to time my sleeping hasn’t been as productive. I wake up tired, go to bed full of energy, and wake up to what feels like a never ending cycle of “nap desire”—the constant desire to take a nap wherever I’m standing!
I’m working to change this cycle and have been changing things up to make my sleeping habits better, and hopefully add a few hours to my sleep chart! I have done a few things that actually made an instant difference!
Do you remember when you were little and your mom or dad would say, “Jimmy make sure you get your stuff ready the night before! Lay out your books, pick out your outfit!” Well it looks like mom may have been right! By getting organized and preparing for the day to come—especially on Sunday right before the school week starts—you will save countless minutes in the morning! You know what that means, extra snooze time!
There are numerous benefits to getting organized pre-slumber—besides just extra sleep time in the morning. Deep down it makes us all happy to hit the button one more time. Who doesn’t love 10 more minutes of uninterrupted sleep?! But other major perks include a smoother sleep transition. By getting ready the night before you are reliving unconscious stress that builds when you have a lot on your mind. It’s never fun to climb into bed and have to worry about everything going on tomorrow. You don’t want to try and figure out what books you’ll need, or if you finished something you were supposed to do! Sleep is supposed to be stress free. By taking a few minutes to lay everything out, you are freeing up that space to just relax and enjoy the act of sleeping.
Now as helpful as organization can be, another good habit to get used to just checking the time. If you know you’ve been hitting the hay a little on the late side, make it a point to get to bed a little earlier. Try moving up your “bedtime” by 5 minutes each night. Before you know it you will be getting in bed a half hour earlier, and then an hour the next week. It makes a huge difference when you get to unwind and just lay down knowing you have all night to rest.
A few more tips to try if you’re really in the sleeping mood, are eating habits. Let your stomach settle and try not to eat an hour or so before you go to sleep. Stick to water and make sure you aren’t crazy and running around. Get your body ready to unwind and slow your roll. Try to calm your activities and get into a sleep routine. Don’t use your phone in bed. When you set your alarm, set it for real! Say goodnight, and actually mean it! Once your lights are off, keep your phone light off too! You start to stir your mind again and then you have to get back in “sleep mode”. It might seem like you’ll miss out on something, but I’ve found that texts are more exciting to wake up to rather than hazily attempting to read them in the dark!
Give these tips a try and see if you are a happier sleeper, or if you can at lest get a few extra hours of Z time in!
-Ring Queen
I’m reading Learning About Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment
So let’s be honest- college may be the first time you’ve ever really had to study for something. There are a few tricks to remember when studying if it’s been awhile!
Your first order of business is to gain motivation. Whether your homework is due in an hour or you want to knock it off so you can enjoy the weekend, motivation is key. Remind yourself that if you get your homework done right now, you will not have to worry about this specific assignment ever again.
First, try visualizing yourself doing your homework. This may seem corny and simple, but it can get you mentally prepared to sit down for some length of time and do your work. Remind yourself of how long it may take you to do your homework and realize it will end eventually.
Next, create a useful workspace. Ensure your basic needs have been met before entering said space: you have gone to the bathroom, eaten something, and are not thirsty. You are neither too cold nor too hot. Choose an environment with a workable atmosphere. Do you need complete silence? Do you like to be around others who are working? Maybe the library is for you. Or you can be completely cliché and go to a Starbucks, but hey, whatever works. Find a place you can concentrate in.
Set up your area with minimal distractions, i.e. giving yourself 10 minutes to get whatever it is you want to do (Facebook usually) out of your system then putting your beloved phone on airplane mode. Have a water/tea/coffee readily accessible.
Do you study/do homework with music? Put on a playlist and don’t touch it. This will lead to much wasted time.
Give yourself small goals and rewards. For example, if you complete three whole pages of your essay, reward yourself with 5 minutes on your phone.
If studying a difficult subject, maybe studying in groups is good for you. Just ensure you focus on the topic at hand. Surround yourself with other students who can be academically oriented and have good study habits that you can emulate.
Happy studying!
-TravelBug
I’m reading A Speaker’s Guidebook
What time is it, you ask? Well, it’s time for you to get back into the habit of organizing your life. Planning for the new semester when glancing over your books and syllabi can be the most frustrating feeling ever — overwhelming, even. Fear not, my fellow college friends. Following a few steps before your classes start can alleviate stress and prepare you for a great semester ahead.
1. Ever heard of this thing called “online calendars”?
Well, if you haven’t, let me introduce you to it. You see, the Internet offers a plethora of calendars that can be printed, synched to your smartphone or iPod and tailored to your needs. While many exist, I personally love Google’s calendar.
If you have a Gmail account you should be able to click on their calendar tab and use their format to fill in your class schedule, work schedule, TV shows and anything else that will help you stay organized. Even better, synced calendars to your phone can have Google send you reminders before your event takes place. We live in a great age of technology when your schedule doesn’t have to be scribbled on a piece of paper or stored in your mind. Utilize it, please!
2. Set goals for yourself before your classes even start.
Get into the habit of writing down goals that you want to accomplish, both long term and short term. Long term goals are things that take place over weeks, maybe even months. Short term goals are ideas that you want to bring to life over the course of a shorter period of time.
For instance, a short term goal can be that you want to earn an A on a test you’re taking in a few weeks. A long term goal can be that you want to achieve a 3.5 GPA, which would require you working hard all semester for this to be accomplished. Setting goals ahead of time has proven to help people focus better about the bigger picture, which is completely different for everyone.
3. Stick to a set sleep schedule.
College, as we all know – or may not know – can distract us from getting any sleep. Between our friends wanting to socialize, our homework, job and parents wanting us to update them about our lives, it’s fairly impossible to sleep. However, setting a strict bed time before your life is thrown into the whirlpool again will force us to get enough rest.
It is recommended that everyone gets at least eight hours of sleep a night, so try to stick around that time frame. Sleep is essential for our bodies to function correctly, and even for our bodies to heal themselves when we’re sick. Not getting enough sleep wears on the body, and can eventually get us in trouble health-wise overtime.
4. Plan to eat a balanced meal.
Let’s face it: pizza, ramen noodles and sub sandwiches are delicious; they’re fairly cheap and they’re easy to get. However, they’re also bad for our overall health, can cause us to gain a significant amount of weight if eaten regularly and it doesn’t help you to focus your life. Your body needs a balanced nutritional diet, just as much as it needs sleep and exercise. Taking care of your body when you’re younger may be harder, but starting the habit now will yield substantial results for you in the end.
Although these tips may seem obvious or small, they’re going to pay off big when the semester hits. Life is enough within itself, and the added stress of juggling college can distract you easily. Take the time to prepare yourself. There’s no harm in wanting to make sure your ride is a little less bumpy.
-Compton
I’m reading Managerial Accounting
