You’ve almost made it through the semester! It’s a relief to be done with classes but we’re not done yet. If you’re like me, you may need that last push into Finals Week. It can be difficult to focus back on your studies with the holidays around the corner. Here are some tips that I use to help finish the semester strong! These simple adjustments can help make your exam times less stressful.
- Create a List
Writing out your assignments and exams can help motivate you to reach your goals. It will also help prevent you from forgetting any assignments. According to Indeed.com, “Recording tasks can allow you to better manage your time and encourages you to achieve more throughout your day.” Checking off each thing gives me a sense of satisfaction and motivates me to want to finish the list. I find that it mitigates my stress. A program that has helped me with my assignments is called a Notion. Notion is a life tracking app that you can use for all sorts of purposes. They have a web browser along with an app. Personally, I use it to track my class work. I fill it out based off my syllabi for my courses at the beginning of the semester. This helps me plan out my time throughout the semester so I don’t miss anything along the way.
2. Look at your exam schedule/extra credit
Planning out your schedule can be the key to success. I find that it alleviates a lot of my stress to know when my exams will take place and how much time I’ll have to study and prepare. A helpful way to lower your stress is looking over your past assignments or doing extra credit work in order to to boost your grade. This will take stress off of the final exam.
3. Make a study group
Want to shorten your time studying and understand the content from you class better? You should join a study group! When you learn with others, you are exposed to different learning styles. For example, some people take notes during class, others rewatch the lectures and write their notes then. When you discuss the content you can figure out what sections you should focus on. I’ve always found that studying with others is much more enjoyable and helps me feel more prepared for the class.
- Take time for self-care
Don’t forget to take some time for yourself. Cornell University wrote about the importance of taking breaks, “Research shows that taking purposeful breaks (anywhere from 5–60 minutes) from studying to refresh your brain and body increases your energy, productivity, and ability to focus.” This will lead to more productive study sessions. My favorite activity is going for a walk, but you could also call someone, take a nap, or watch a show.
You’ve got this!!
You’re almost done with the semester! You should be proud of the hard work you’ve done. I hope that these tips will help make your finals feel less stressful and hope you all have a happy holiday once the semester ends!
My sources:
https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/daily-to-do-list
https://health.cornell.edu/about/news/study-breaks-stress-busters