With loads of school work being assigned and morale beginning to dwindle, the final days of the semester are near. It is easy for students to come back from spring break and become trapped in an unmotivated funk. Now is the time to gain perseverance and push through to the end. Do you find yourself wondering when you’ll ever get your work done? Or laying in bed wishing you were getting tan or hanging out with your dog? Well you are not alone! In fact, the vast majority of St. Joe’s students share the same thoughts! We are in need of motivation to push through until finals. These go-tos will allow you to seamlessly transition back into your perfect study schedule.
1. Set Your Daily Goals
When coming back from spring break, students find themselves overwhelmed with school work and social events. A step towards overcoming this undesirable feeling is to prioritize your daily schedule. Every morning when you wake up, make a list of what your goals are for the day. Focus your attention on what you value the most. Varying from day-to-day, your goals can simply be one task or a tedious list of to-dos. Whether it’s seeing a friend, getting a paper finished or catching up on sleep, your goals can change based off their relevance. Along with these daily goals, try to determine the ways in which you plan on achieving them. Remember to put yourself first and do what is most important to you.
2. Plan Accordingly
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend investing in a planner. Once you do, you’ll never go back to the no-planner life. Using a planner may seem extra but it truly is one of the most helpful items to invest in. Actively using a planner allows you to keep track of your upcoming due dates or social events. This method of organization forces you to lay out your entire schedule and visually see what free time you have. Based on daily goals, you can plan your days down to the minute. When determining what free time you have, you are also figuring out the time frames in which you must achieve your daily goals. Having a planner keeps you organized and less stressed so you can focus on getting work done.
3. Ease Into Your Study Schedule
Now that you’ve made time to get into the library, it’s time to sit down and get some work done. If you’re like me, you can’t just sit down and bang out hours of heavy studying. Especially coming from the spring break state of mind. A simple way to ease into study time is to ask your friends to come along. Claim one of the big tables on second floor new side and help each other go to work. This allows you to get into the finals mindset without diving right in. Studying with a group allows you to approach your school work in a relaxed manner. If second floor new side isn’t open, there’s always the comfy couches looking out to Barb.
4. Have No Shame In Study Breaks
When you first begin to cream for finals, it is always very important to give your mind time to recover. No matter what you’re going through, remember there is always someone to turn to. Whether it’s the cashier at the snack stand in the library, your besties on second floor new side or even a counselor from CAPS. You can even pencil in the time you need to chill or communicate with someone for help. Whatever your break includes, even if it’s an episode of your guilty pleasure show, take no shame in your study break. There are some apps out there that allow you to relax and unwind when you’re stressed; a popular meditation app is called, Headspace. Everyone is different, and you may require something totally different than your class partner in terms of refreshing your mind.
5. Focus Back With Some Quiet Study Time
Eventually, the time will come for you to turn away from your friend or turn the distractions off. In order to finish that 8-10 page research paper you haven’t started yet, don’t be afraid to head over to the quiet old side of the library. The worst case scenario here would be getting lost amongst the third floor bookshelves (not too bad, right?). Take the chance and face any anxiety you may have. Before you know it, finals will be around the corner and you’ll need to cram for that huge organic chemistry test or crank out a history paper. Alone time in the stacks is always a good thing. You’ll be so focused on achieving your goals for the day, you’ll spend three hours there without even noticing, and summer will be one step closer.
