Midterm season is upon us, and there’s no doubt that everyone’s feeling a little bit of that mid-semester slump – especially when mostly remote classes are taking place. While midterms are often dreadful and scary, they’ll be over before you know it, and summer will be right around the corner! Here are some tips for staying motivated during midterms.
1. Plan accordingly
Utilizing a planner in some sort of way is important to stay on top of your tasks and schoolwork. This is especially important in college when you also juggle work, a social life, and any possibly clubs or organizations. Deadlines can be extremely easy to miss or mess up, but a planner makes it so much easier to remember. Luckily, there’s a wide variety of paper or electronic planners available to choose from.
2. Wake up early
If you’re anything then like me, then maybe you wake up in the early afternoon and feel that you’ve already wasted half your day. The earlier you wake up, the more time you’ll have to be prepared for the day and ultimately have a better mood, more normal sleep schedule, more energy, etc.
3. Set goals
Setting goals are important to get your tasks done. Remember to start small, as making goals too big and unachievable gives you a lesser chance of accomplishing those. If you set a goal such as “getting an 85% or higher on an exam”, then you can study and prepare enough to get that desired grade. If you set a goal such as “getting all A’s this semester”, you won’t even know where to start.
4. Put away electronics
If there’s one main thing that distracts me from getting my work done, it’s definitely my phone. It’s hard to fight the urge to completely unplug from social media, but you’ll feel so much more motivated and efficient when you do! I often turn my phone off for a few hours during long stretches of completing homework to maximize my time efficiency.
5. Make plans for after midterms
Making plans for when midterms are over gives you something to look forward to and be excited about. Whether that’s a full day out in nature, hanging out with some friends, or whatever else, knowing that you have something fun planned out in the future can motivate you to get your midterms done.
6. Don’t forget about self-care
Probably one of the most important tips on this list is to make sure to take care of yourself! Burnout can occur pretty quickly after studying for long periods of time, so make sure to take breaks accordingly. Taking time to listen to music, read a book, or watch your favorite show can have a positive effect on your mood that’ll make it easier to stay motivated.