The second semester of the school year is arguably worse than the end of the first semester, no matter what year of college you’re in. November and December of the first semester have a light at the end of the tunnel: winter break, but the second semester begins as a long, treacherous trek to spring break and summer. Between cold, gloomy winter days and brand-new classes where you feel like you’re starting back at square one, it’s easy to become discouraged when completing assignments or studying for those nail-biting exams, but there are six easy tips to make your anti-studying mindset a thing of the past!
- Get rid of distractions.
And by distractions, I mean that phone! Start off strong with the easiest and most simple study tip in the book: come up with something to do with your phone so that it doesn’t become a distraction. Whether that’s turning it off, putting it across the room, or burying it deep in your backpack, having your phone out of sight and out of mind is the best way to keep yourself focused.
- Come up with a schedule.
When you have a long list of assignments to complete, making a schedule can help things become less overwhelming. For example, doing biology from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., English from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., and so on. It’s completely up to you how long you work on each assignment, but by providing yourself with a finish line, you are more likely to stay focused and motivated.
It may also be helpful to begin with the assignments that you think will take the longest to complete, and then end with the shortest or easiest assignments. This way, you will be able to work on assignments longer so that you don’t get burnt out too early in your study sessions.
Websites like Notion and Google Calendar are useful tools to incorporate in your studying routine to stay on schedule all semester long!
- Set a timer.
By setting a timer, you’re making a deal for yourself that if you work on an assignment for an extended amount of time, then you can take a short break and have some free time before you begin working again. The time increments depend on the person, but here are some suggestions to help you get started:
- Study for 20 minutes, take a break for five minutes
- Study for 40 minutes, take a break for 10 minutes
- Study for one hour, take a break for 15 minutes
Another timer tip — that I actually received from one of my professors—is for assigned readings. When you find yourself unmotivated to do the assigned readings for a class, set a timer for 5 minutes and make a deal with yourself that if you still don’t want to read when the timer goes off, you can stop. Most likely, you’ll end up finishing your reading even after the timer rings.
- Come up with rewards for studying.
A great way to keep yourself motivated to complete an assignment is by promising yourself a reward for when you’re done. This could be going to get ice cream, watching a movie, going for a walk, hanging out with your friends, or even reading your favorite book. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s something that you can look forward to when you’re assignment-free! And — let’s be honest — one of the best feelings ever is getting to enjoy your free time without having any homework to do.
- Find a new study spot outside of your room.
Sometimes our beds can just be a little bit too tempting, or maybe when there’s no one to see you become unfocused it becomes that much easier to procrastinate, but finding a new study spot away from the distractions of your own room can improve how much work you get done. My location of choice is a coffee shop because the chatter is nice background noise and seeing other people working around me inspires me to complete my assignments (and grabbing a coffee and a snack is nice too). But your new favorite study spot may be the library, a table outside, or even your friend’s living room.
- Schedule daily study time in your day-to-day routine.
Once a day, integrate an hour or two into your class schedule to dedicate solely to studying and completing assignments. This can be before classes, after classes, or even sandwiched between classes. If you remain consistent when scheduling yourself some study time, it can help your weekly assignment list feel less daunting. This is a tip that I have lots of experience with, and I can confirm that it became very helpful when my semester began to get busy!
By using these six study tips, I hope that you can face your semester with confidence instead of with fear. But the most important tip that I can give you is don’t give up! I believe in you, and I know that you have the ability to slay your semester, even when it feels impossible.