Most schools are reaching that time of year when midterms are starting to creep around the corner and are becoming a very real fear for college students. Students have been working for weeks and have probably pulled more all-nighters than they’d care to admit by this time in the semester.

Our brains are tired, we’re lucky if we can get a full night’s sleep, and the quality of our work has become questionable at best lately. Even with a short break coming up allowing us sweet, sweet rest, how can we be expected to jump back into work again and push through until the middle of December? Here are some ideas to raise motivation and stay motivated until the end of the semester finally arrives:

Take Care Of Yourself.

If you’ve been feeling sluggish and like all you’ve been doing lately is homework and work, it’s clear that you haven’t made a lot of time for yourself. We are students, yes, and the work we do is absolutely important. But first and foremost, we are human. We need to take care of those needs too. Find a time of day that works for you when you can put away the homework and be totally uncommitted to other people or obligations. Use this time to take a nap, watch an episode (or three) of something on Netflix, have a snack, meditate… whatever makes you feel recharged afterwards and a little more human than before.

Have An End Goal.

It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you don’t know how long the tunnel is or what that light represents. Having a goal can keep you moving forward because you know that it’s something you want. Maybe that’s graduation, maybe that’s spending the holidays with your family. Whatever keeps you moving forward is a good goal.

Dedicated Homework Time And Space.

I’ve only started to realize the importance of this one. A lot of us will say that we can definitely get our work done while also sitting in front of the TV where Netflix is playing or that we can totally work in bed or on the couch. But when you’re in the middle of crunch time as a huge project is due tomorrow morning or you have to make a presentation in a couple hours, it can be really tempting to just curl up in bed/on the couch and nap. Why would you do homework when you have the choice between doing that and napping or getting lost in a story that has nothing to do with your life right now? Separate yourself and have a dedicated work space as well as a time to do that work every day. Don’t let those distractions distract you.

We’ve made it this far in the semester. I know we can do it again. We just need to stand up, dust ourselves off, and keep moving forward, even if we’re moving at a shuffle and even if we really, really, REALLY don’t want to keep moving forward.

You are strong. You are great. I know that you can get through this.