While the end of the year brings beautiful weather, don’t let it fool you – finals is around the corner. The spring/second semester slump is real, and if the thought of long library hours and actually focusing in your classes for the first time in a few weeks seems all too daunting, here’s some ways to ease into it.
1. Use Your Planner
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Even if you haven’t cracked open your planner since first semester finals, it is the key to ultimate organization. The act of writing everything down will force you to understand what exactly you have to do and when, and there’s something cathartic and concrete about having assignments down on the page and not floating around in your head as ominous responsibilities.
2. Start Studying
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Whether you like study guides, notecards, or quizlet, if you lay the foundation down now, you’ll thank yourself in two weeks. Just by simply starting something, you’ll gain some control and feel slightly more prepared for when the real studying kicks in. Starting now also gives you time to make whatever your preferred guide is visually appealing – color coding is more fun to look at than poorly scribbled bullet points made in crunch time.
3. Don’t Start That New Netflix Show
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Even if you don’t think you have a lot of work now, you don’t have time to binge watch 8 seasons worth of Shondaland before finals starts, and you’re not going to quit cold turkey for finals season. Do yourself a favor and wean off of Netflix slowly, so when you’re stressed and need a break during finals, you’ll end up exercising or reading rather than fall into the 1 episode turns to 1 season binge watching rabbit hole.
4. Find a Productive Break Activity
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Finals studying isn’t so scary when you see it as concentrated work in chunks. Breaks are inevitable, and healthy, and whether you picked up meditation or yoga last finals season or you want to try it this time around, start now. Find what works for you and make it a healthy habit, so you’re less stressed out and more productive when it actually comes time to buckle down.
There’s such little time left in the semester. Just power through these next few weeks in a productive manner and reap the benefits of a stress-free summer!