Finals week is among us and I think we can all agree that it is one of the most stressful times of the semester. It’s so close to summer break that it can be really hard to stay motivated for those final assignments and exams. The weather is getting to be nice and the last thing you want is to be sitting in a dorm stressing over schoolwork. It’s a difficult time, but we all must get through it. To help with staying motivated and doing well on those finals, I’ve provided some tips below of things that help me to keep working and push through till the end!
First off, I start by beginning my studying a couple of weeks before my exams, or at least a week before depending on the difficulty of the class. Nothing is worse than trying to cram a semester’s worth of information into a couple of days only to be completely exhausted and burnt out before the exam. The best thing that has helped is making sure I give myself plenty of time to go over the material and really make sure I understand it.
Secondly, I like to try to make my own questions up while studying so that I get a better idea of what the questions will look like on the exam. If you take a topic and think to yourself, how can I make a question out of this, then you’re a lot more likely to do well since that’s what the professors do! It also becomes easier for you to understand the material because you create the question to then go back and answer yourself later. Not only are you learning the material, but you’re also likely to see a similar question on the exam as to what you came up with! This helps you to feel more prepared and overall do better on the exam.
Third, I know that staying motivated can be one of the most difficult parts to get through exams. Something that I like to do and that I found helps with my motivation is making a list of why I am doing what I’m doing. Why are you in school? Where is this going to take you in life? What is it that you are working for? I found that answering questions like this and looking back on those motivating factors really helps in pushing me to keep working and finish off strong. We all have something that is motivating us to keep going!
Fourth, it is so very important to take breaks between your work. If you’re just sitting down at a desk for 7-8 hours non-stop working on studying and assignments, you are going to get burnt out pretty fast. Not taking breaks will only lead to it taking even longer to finish assignments and studying because your brain will eventually need to work harder to keep you focused and motivated. Even just short 15-minute breaks can help you to regain and maintain focus throughout your work. Don’t just go on your phone though! Do a short exercise, go on a walk, drink some water, or get something to eat! These things will help to give your brain a break by focusing on something other than a screen and allows you to relax before going back to your work!
Fifth, get plenty of sleep! I feel like everyone knows this and tends to neglect it during finals week especially, but it really helps to get plenty of sleep each night. Your brain won’t be able to function, and you won’t feel up to doing anything if you’re tired all the time. If you are unable to get enough sleep at night for whatever reason it may be, at least find time to take a nap throughout the day. It can help you to regain energy and be ready to start working again on that finals prep!
Sixth, make a list of everything you have to do and set a time limit for each. Writing out what you are going to do throughout the day and set times for when you are going to do them can be so helpful and eliminate the stress that comes from just the idea of all the work you have to do. I like to plan out my whole day including in time for breaks, food, and sleep as well as all my work so that I feel more organized and less stressed. This is one tip that I highly recommend as it helped me a lot of last finals week and is something I will be implementing into this one!
This week can be so exhausting and stressful, but we are so close to being done. These are just some of the things that I have used to stay focused and motivated throughout finals week. I hope that any of these are able to help you stay to get through these last few weeks and finish strong!
Good Luck, Lovies! :)