It’s that time of year: your plane ticket is booked, the bikinis you ordered are en route for delivery, and at night you dream of laying in the sun and sipping a pina colada. But alas, not only do you still have three more weeks until the break, but endless classes, papers, projects, and finals to complete. I like to call this point the Pre-Spring Break Slump: the achingly slow point of time stuck between your vacation on the horizon and the dredges of everyday life.
Making it through the Pre-Spring Break Slump is no easy feat, but with these tips and tricks, hopefully you can find ways to stay motivated and productive before jetting off to soak up the sun!
- Balance Work and Play
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I’m one of those people that simply wants to put my head down and get everything done in one sitting so I can go do what I want to. However, that approach doesn’t work in a situation like this, where I need to be working hard for multiple days or weeks at a time. So, to adapt to this, I try my best to balance enjoyable activities or rewards with my work schedule. For example, if I’ve been studying intensely for a while, maybe I go get myself a coffee, buy a cute dress for vacation I’ve been eyeing, or plan a movie night for myself. By giving yourself rewards for all the work you do, it motivates you to continue working hard but also reminds you of how good of a job you’re doing! (And if nobody’s told you yet, you’re doing great. <3)
Photo by lily oneal - Change Up Your Environment and Routine
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If I do my work in the same place for too long, I start getting really antsy. This also happens – especially during finals week – when my routine becomes too repetitive: wake up, study, lunch, study, dinner, study, bed. It drives me up the wall. That’s why during finals week you’ll never find me in the same place twice; one day I’ll be studying at Powell, the next at YRL, and the day after that at Janss Steps. And with that, I try to switch up my routine as much as possible. I love incorporating different random activities into my day to still be spontaneous and fun even during grind season. For example, during finals week of fall quarter, I hit up the gaming lounge on the hill, took my first CorePower class, and randomly decided to get a tattoo with one of my friends – a tradition we’re going to continue!
- Prioritize, Organize, and Get On Your Grind
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To conquer the Pre-Spring Break Slump and finals week, you need to prioritize and stay organized. Although it may seem daunting to accomplish everything you need to do until spring break, it’s not an impossible undertaking! Take the time to plan out your tasks, and prioritize the ones that are the most important and time-critical. Plan out when you’re going to do them and get them done, too. You don’t need to make a strict hour-by-hour schedule to stick to (I always try to do this and fail miserably), but deciding when you want to have a particular task done and sticking to that deadline is important. Not only is this a practice that builds discipline, time management, and efficiency, but it also lets you go on vacation feeling relaxed and not bogged down by any leftover to-dos!
Although the Pre-Spring Break Slump might feel like a never-ending tunnel of boring and unproductive days right now, I hope that some of these tips inspire you to approach these next few weeks differently, and stay motivated, excited, and productive before going on spring break!