For me, spring semester is consistently harder than fall semester. It’s much colder and the only time off we get is spring break. I can genuinely feel the burnout building with each passing week.
As a junior, I’ve had a lot of experience with this rough time, and below are some of the methods I’ve found to be helpful.
- Schedule Breaks
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None of us are Superman and, contrary to popular belief, we can’t do it all. I’ve noticed for myself that I need to actively schedule breaks in the day to be more productive.
I am the type of person who will work with sporadic or no breaks for hours at a time and I quickly become mentally exhausted by the midway point of the semester.
After I get home for the day, I take a 30-minute break before I start working on any assignments. I use that time for scrolling on TikTok, reading or a power nap.
Knowing that I have this time built into my schedule gives me something to look forward to each day. After I take my break, I am ready to switch into the mindset needed to complete my work.
- Follow your plans (lITERALLY)
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All of us choose to stay organized in different ways. For some people, it’s Google Calendar and for others it’s a whiteboard. I use a mixture of a handwritten planner and an Excel spreadsheet of all the assignments for the entire semester.
Every morning before my first class, I open the spreadsheet, look at what I have to do for the day and what I have to do for the rest of the week. This gives me multiple chances to see what’s needed from me each day and it reduces the chance that I’ll forget about it.
This allows me to stay on top of assignments and avoid major surprises or deadlines creeping up on me.
Preventing that feeling of being overwhelmed with work and allowing a sense of order in your life can help you stay motivated week after week.
- Shake Things Up
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For me, spring semester feels mundane and every day feels the same. Sticking to the same routine for months on end can be a recipe for disaster. It can cause you to fall under stress and exhaustion, which eventually develops into burnout.
I try to study in a new location around campus or eat at a different places around town every other week to keep things interesting.
I love finding new places to study, whether it’s the top floor of the HUB, the third floor of the library or an empty classroom. A change of location can make you less prone to distractions as you’re less familiar with the things happening around you.
Little changes like this help keep the weeks interesting and have me looking forward to where I’ll go next.
Spring semester can be rough, but hopefully some of these tips can help you feel as if you’ll be able to push through as they do for me.