As we prepare for finals to start next week, motivation is understandably dwindling. It’s cold and dark outside, and you’re likely exhausted from merely finishing the last day of classes. With projects, papers, and exams on the horizon, I know I am looking for some inspiration to finish the semester on a high note. Here are just a few exciting moments and feelings to serve as a reminder of what lies beyond the next two weeks.
1. Closing your laptop
This is euphoric. The feeling of closing your laptop after finishing your last final is like freeing yourself from months of stress — you instantly feel lighter. The only better feeling is closing all your tabs on your laptop after finishing a paper or project. The thought of this triumphant feeling is sometimes just enough to motivate me to stay strong during old finals.
2. Throwing away old notes
I used to keep all my old notebooks out of fear that I would need to refer back to something, but more often than not, they just collected dust and became a pain to continue storing. Now, I almost always rip up old notes that I no longer have a use for after I finish my finals, which is also a great way to release excess energy after sitting through a three hour exam.
3. Waking up to no alarm
Long gone are the days of morning classes and morning study sessions. Think about the first day after you finish your finals — you can sleep in without setting an alarm and feel zero guilt about it. As someone who hates getting up in the morning, this is my favorite post-finals perk. Sleeping in without consequence is a simple joy with a big impact — especially for someone like me who loves being cozy as much as possible.
4. Living without Canvas notifications
Goodbye to Canvas and goodbye to emails — at least for the moment. As soon as I finish finals, I know I will be basking in the glory of receiving far fewer notifications from Canvas, especially the ever-daunting notification that an assignment has been graded. During Winter Break, I will be enjoying my life without being glued to Canvas announcements and updates.
Good luck on finals! We can do this!