Procrastination is a killer–I’m sure this is something we’re all aware of. This year, and especially this semester, college students all over the country are dealing with whole new levels of burnout due to the subtraction of our spring break and the lack of days off in general. And with midterms approaching, all of this can certainly feel insurmountable. But while taking a break can be helpful when dealing with burnout, doing the work you’ve been stressed about and putting off can also be a form of self-care. Once you finish the thing, you never have to think about it again! And then, your relaxation time won’t be taken up by thoughts of what you should be doing. With that in mind, here are three of my biggest study tips for getting through this semester and the upcoming midterms season.
- Break up your tasks
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Breaking up your tasks can make the work seem less daunting. You don’t need a bullet journal or anything fancy to do this- rather, just use a notepad that you have lying around or even the notes app on your phone! Try creating a to-do list with a few assignments that you want to get done on that day, and during the day, don’t worry yourself about any other assignments. Hopefully, you won’t feel as stressed when you’re only focusing on a few things at a time. Just make sure not to put too many things on a to-do list for one day because that could also act as a stressor. If you aren’t able to finish all your tasks on your list for the day, don’t beat yourself up about it! Just move that to the list for tomorrow and rest and refresh for the rest of the night. This way you don’t stress yourself out or burn yourself out when trying to figure out what works for you. It’s important to be productive, but it’s also important to recognize when you need a break.
- The Pomodoro Method and timer apps
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Another method for battling procrastination during midterm studying and/or paper-writing is the Pomodoro Method. This method is one in which you work for a set time before you get a short break and then work for the same set time again. It’s a cycle that really eases the burden of schoolwork. For example, you sit down to write a paper for 50 minutes, then have a 10 minute break, and then sit down again for another 50 minutes before another 10 minute break. The best part about this method is that you can adjust the study and break times however you choose! You can also use timer apps that are specifically meant to help with keeping your focus, and my biggest recommendation is the app Forest, in which you set a timer and it locks your phone. You don’t want to break the timer because you fill a garden in the app with trees that grow in the amount of time you set the timer for. If you go on your phone before the timer is up, the tree dies and then you have a dead tree in your garden. It’s a great motivator, and I normally set it for an hour before I’m in a flow state and no longer need the app to focus.
- YouTube is at your fingertips!
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Okay, I know that at a first glance, this might seem counterproductive, but just stick with me here. My last recommendation is using all of the lo-fi and classical music playlists–as well as the study-with-me videos–that you have right at your fingertips on YouTube. I know that I cannot focus on studying when listening to music with lyrics or watching videos in which people are speaking, so these music playlists have been a savior. I’ll also link some of my personal favorites below, including some simple lo-fi playlists, as well as a dark academia playlist and a light academia playlist (for my peeps out there who love the aesthetics). There is also a channel I would highly recommend called “The Miracle Forest,” which makes ASMR ambience videos that really help me keep calm and focused when studying. This is for the people who want the atmosphere of a study playlist but without the actual music. Maybe just a crackling fire or wind rushing through a street will do for you, and this is where you’ll find your heaven. Lastly, I would recommend study-with-me videos. A “Study-Tube” channel that I love is “study with yoora.” Yoora makes hour-long videos of herself studying with no background music, and putting them on in the background while I’m studying makes me feel twice as motivated to keep on going. It’s very nice to feel like you have a companion while studying.
Basically, studying and getting stuff done is its own form of self-care when you have too many things piling up that are taking away your ability to relax. If your growing to-do list is what’s causing you stress, try using these methods to get some stuff done so that you can really relax afterwards and feel more refreshed and ready to go than ever. Best of luck on the rest of your semester, and especially on your midterms!