As of this time next week, it will officially be Finals Szn. As pumped as you might be for the summer, finals week is that one last little (or gigantic) hill we have to get over before Gym, Tan, Laundry. Here are some realistic tips and goals for studying, and yeah, a lot of them have to do with neglecting social media for, like, 5 mins.
Put your phone on the other side of the room
Seriously, get your phone away from you. Sometimes I’ll forget it’s next to me and just by making eye contact with it, I’ll grad it and instantly start scrolling through. But if it’s on the other side of the room, no way am I getting up just to reply to a snapchat. This includes your computer – now that we can text, tweet, post all from our computers, too, it makes putting your phone on the other side worthless. Don’t have the Facebook tab open just because you always have it open – close it. Even webmail, get it out of here. It’s just distracting. Turn off notifications, just for the time being, and trust me, you won’t even notice it.
Eating
So I’ve said before not to eat when you study because you’re probably not hungry and you’re probably overeating/stress eating, but eating/chewing can keep you focused, too. (Ever studied on an empty stomach?) Something simple like chewing gum or candy like tootsie rolls that last a while are a great idea – it gives you the illusion you’re eating a lot when you’re most likely not.
Be realistic and know your study habits
If you’re the kind of person who does better by having a large, multi-hour block of time to study, then reserve that! Just make sure that you start to move once you get tired, like making a cup of tea/coffee, going to the bathroom, eating a piece of fruit… these are all good options for taking a small, 10 min break. If you’re the kind of person who can only do it 20 minutes at a time because your mind wanders, then do it! But don’t take big breaks, make them small, like just looking at your phone for 3 minutes or something mindless.
Stay out of the lib
I know this sounds crazy, but the library during finals season is basically a pity party of everyone loudly complaining about how much work they have and how big their test is. It’s noisy and just a social scene, so if you want real study time, either stay in your room OR take it to places like the Underground, the Cave, Econ Lib, Goldbergs/Vernon Social, even unoccupied classrooms. Chances are, you’ll have much more peace and quiet there.