3 Tips to Staying Motivated During Finals Season
by Abby Harrington
4/17/2024
With finals season fast approaching, it’s important to stay motivated and avoid burnout. It’s easy to check out during this time, as we’re so close to being done with this semester. With the weather getting warmer and graduation season coming up it’s hard to stay motivated. Below are some tips and tricks to staying motivated and to finish strong leading up to and during finals season.
Take care of yourself and your mental health
It’s important to set aside time for yourself and not forget to take care of yourself and your mental health. A good way to do this is to take brain breaks. Don’t overwhelm yourself with information, set a timer and study for a certain amount of time and then take a break. Go for a walk, exercise, spend some time with friends or family. Step away from your work and give yourself time to destress. Give yourself rewards for hitting milestones in your study/finals process. This can be as simple as a scroll break on social media after studying for a certain amount of time or something bigger like treating yourself to a meal after completing a particularly stressful final.
Don’t ruin your sleep schedule
Studying is even harder when you’re not fully rested or not getting quality sleep. It can be easy to stay up later studying and sleep less than you typically do when preparing for finals. It’s important to make sure you don’t mess up your sleep schedule before and during finals. Make sure that you give your brain time to power off before going to bed. Turn your electronics off at least 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep. Read a book or listen to some music to wind down. When your alarm goes off in the morning, don’t stay in bed and scroll, get up and start your day. This helps start your day on a good note and reduce brain fog. Another important tip to waking up ready for the day is to wake up after the first alarm, don’t continuously snooze your alarm.
Make a study calendar
Studying for finals can be daunting when everything lines up within a few days. It can be hard to know where to start and how to cover all of the material you need to. A study calendar can help organize and keep you on track to prevent procrastination. First, know when all of your finals are and how much time you want to dedicate to each subject. Make a plan of which days you want to study certain subjects or lectures. Make note of what specific topics you need to study and exactly how long you want to spend on each subject. This can help you visualize what you’re going to study and when.
by Abby Harrington
4/17/2024
With finals season fast approaching, it’s important to stay motivated and avoid burnout. It’s easy to check out during this time, as we’re so close to being done with this semester. With the weather getting warmer and graduation season coming up it’s hard to stay motivated. Below are some tips and tricks to staying motivated and to finish strong leading up to and during finals season.
- Take care of yourself and your mental health
- Don’t ruin your sleep schedule
- Make a study calendar
Take care of yourself and your mental health
It’s important to set aside time for yourself and not forget to take care of yourself and your mental health. A good way to do this is to take brain breaks. Don’t overwhelm yourself with information, set a timer and study for a certain amount of time and then take a break. Go for a walk, exercise, spend some time with friends or family. Step away from your work and give yourself time to destress. Give yourself rewards for hitting milestones in your study/finals process. This can be as simple as a scroll break on social media after studying for a certain amount of time or something bigger like treating yourself to a meal after completing a particularly stressful final.
Don’t ruin your sleep schedule
Studying is even harder when you’re not fully rested or not getting quality sleep. It can be easy to stay up later studying and sleep less than you typically do when preparing for finals. It’s important to make sure you don’t mess up your sleep schedule before and during finals. Make sure that you give your brain time to power off before going to bed. Turn your electronics off at least 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep. Read a book or listen to some music to wind down. When your alarm goes off in the morning, don’t stay in bed and scroll, get up and start your day. This helps start your day on a good note and reduce brain fog. Another important tip to waking up ready for the day is to wake up after the first alarm, don’t continuously snooze your alarm.
Make a study calendar
Studying for finals can be daunting when everything lines up within a few days. It can be hard to know where to start and how to cover all of the material you need to. A study calendar can help organize and keep you on track to prevent procrastination. First, know when all of your finals are and how much time you want to dedicate to each subject. Make a plan of which days you want to study certain subjects or lectures. Make note of what specific topics you need to study and exactly how long you want to spend on each subject. This can help you visualize what you’re going to study and when.