With the fall semester quickly coming to an end, finals week is nearing and stress and anxiety about intense workloads may accompany that. Whether you’re a college freshman entering your first year of final exams or a senior who’s been through this before, finals never seem to get less scary, but they don’t have to be that way if you learn to manage your time and find a good routine for yourself. Final exams can be intimidating, but I’ve provided a few steps you can try to incorporate into your schedule that may help relieve some of your stress.
- Create a Plan
One of the best tips I could give for a college student trying to stay organized is to purchase and utilize an academic planner. I purchased mine from Amazon at the beginning of the semester and use it every day––I like how it has lots of room to write down assignments and other notes. Using a planner is the easiest way to not miss assignments deadlines, exams, or events. A planner can be especially helpful when finals come around because you can plan out study times, break times and when you need to have assignments turned in by. I like to start my week off by writing down everything I have assigned and filling in the date and time it’s due. During finals week, I like to take my organization a step further by planning out specific times to study for certain exams or projects I need to work on. Doing this helps me to not feel as overwhelmed during a stressful period where I may otherwise feel that way. Planning out your schedule and sticking to it can definitely make a difference in how productive you are.
2. Consider Your Surroundings
Finding a distraction-free space for homework and study time during finals week is key to being productive. For me, I have to find a quiet space to effectively get stuff done, so I try my best to eliminate any outside noise so I can stay focused. I know I’m not alone when I say that a messy space can be very distracting when trying to focus on schoolwork and studying, so ensuring that your space is clean and organized always helps. If you study in your room, making sure your laundry is put away and your bed is made may make a bigger difference than you’d think on how focused you are. It also ensures that you don’t have those chores lingering in your mind that you need to get done as long as you do them before sitting down to study. The library is also a good resource to use during finals week if you don’t have an efficient study space at home. It’s guaranteed to be quiet and everyone there is there for the same reason so there will likely be little distractions. Changing up your study location throughout the week has always helped me from getting too bored which can lead to getting distracted. If I find myself feeling like I’ve been stuck in my room for too long, I’ll move to the library and that new and fresh space always seems to remotivate me.
3. Allow Yourself Break Time
Taking breaks and allowing yourself time to breathe and relax while studying or completing a final project is not only necessary but crucial in not overwhelming yourself. Overworking yourself can definitely lead to less quality in your work and it’s honestly never efficient to force yourself to study if you’re extremely tired––there’s a very high chance you won’t even retain the information when you’re in this state of mind. Relating this back to creating a plan, always make sure to prioritize free time for breaks in your study schedule. I usually try to take a ten-minute break after every 45 minutes of studying or working on homework. Although this may sound like a lot it actually keeps me from feeling overwhelmed when I know I have a little break coming up. During these breaks, don’t forget to relax and maybe eat a snack, as it can be easy to forget these kinds of things when you’re stressed. Find a schedule that works for how often you feel you may need a break and make that your routine. As long as you stay disciplined with break times and how often you’re taking them it should make studying and completing homework a lot less stressful.
4. Try Not To Stress Too Much
This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I wish I would have realized earlier on in college during finals week, I definitely beat myself up a lot over how much or how little I was accomplishing. Finals week is stressful for everyone and sometimes it’s hard to let yourself relax a little when you see everyone else around you constantly working on something or studying. Once you realize that it’s okay to take breaks to relax or go hang out with friends for a couple of hours and still be successful during finals, your whole thought process will change. This goes back to the planning part I mentioned earlier: while it’s important to plan out due dates and study time, it’s also just as vital to plan out designated times to also do stuff you enjoy during this hectic week too. Whether that be going to the gym, getting food with friends, watching Netflix, or whatever you need to do to destress for a while, make that a priority. Overworking yourself to the point of exhaustion and isolating yourself from the world outside of studying can be horrible for your mental health.
Taking proactive steps to try to help relieve a little bit of stress during finals week is the best thing you can do for yourself. Try to remember during this week that you are human and not a robot, so treat yourself with kindness and relax when possible. Before you know it, finals week will be over and you’ll have a month off to decompress and take a much-needed break from classes.