Finals are right around the corner, and I don’t know about you guys, but I am feeling the burnout to the max. I feel like I have worked hard all semester, and I simply have no energy left. But I keep telling myself I want to finish strong. There’s only a couple weeks left, then we have a nice long winter break! We all just have to get through these one to two weeks for a month of relaxation. Below I will provide various ways in which you can increase your motivation for finals week. I hope you find these methods effective, and feel free to put your own little twist on them!
- Create a study plan
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This is imperative to staying focused and motivated for finals! I would start out by marking down the dates of all of your finals on your calendar, that way none of them sneak up on you. Next, create a study plan for each final. You can either break up the studying for certain blocks of time throughout the day, or you can set aside a couple of hours in the day to study. Writing down your goals helps to hold yourself accountable and crossing them off after is the best feeling!
- Come up with incentives
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This has always helped me in staying motivated. What I will do is while studying, I will set a timer for 30 minutes or an hour, and once the timer goes off, I will take a 10 or 20 minute studying break. Another way to go about this is to tell yourself that once you finish studying, you can watch T.V., buy your favorite snack, etc. Little things like these help with reaching goals and makes you feel very accomplished! This feeling of accomplishment will motivate you even further and remind yourself that you are fully capable.
- Have a set bedtime routine
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I always struggle with trying to fall asleep and wake up at the same time everyday. Although finding a time in which you can get eight hours of sleep each night will be extremely beneficial in keeping you motivated and energized. Getting the right amount of sleep is very important in maintaining not just our health, but increasing our energy. If you have to get up at 8:00 AM, I recommend going to bed around 10:00-11:00 PM the night before. Just make sure you are accounting for those full eight hours of sleep.
- Study in different locations
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Always studying in one place can make one feel trapped or can lead to negative associations with the location. Instead of just studying in your room, try studying in your living room or kitchen. Better yet, you can study outside of your home at a local coffee shop or your school’s library! Switching up the location in which you are studying can make you feel less confined and more focused.
- Meditate
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Meditation can help in grounding yourself and staying calm during such a stressful time. There are specific meditation videos on YouTube for test-taking anxiety, which I personally find to be very helpful. Maybe you can even meditate during one of your study breaks to stay calm and focused.
I wish you all the best of luck on your final exams! I hope you utilize these methods in order to stay motivated, and don’t forget you can always modify them to your own personal liking. Everyone has different methods that work specifically for them, so do not get discouraged if you have to keep trying different ones!