1. Get to the library early. Everyone knows that if you roll up to the library in the late afternoon, there will be no tables available. Wake up early and get there before 10 a.m. This ensures you have all day to study and if you're lucky, you might be able to leave before midnight.
2. Don’t forget your books. Double check to make sure that you aren’t forgetting the books you need to study for your tests. Having to get up and go the library is tough enough, but realizing that you forgot your Biology book at home makes it even worse. Hopefully you either live close or have nice roommates that might bring it to you.
3. Snacks snacks snacks. The best part about finals week is being able to eat any food as a reward for going to the library. Pack snacks that won’t cause everyone to glare at you for the loud crunching noise that you’re making.
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4. Bring extra note cards. Don’t underestimate the number of notecards you will need because chances are you will use twice the amount of what you expected. Also, if you leave the library to get more, you probably won’t come back.
5. Make sure you have both your laptop charger and phone charger. Considering that you will most likely be there all day, you wouldn’t want to run out of power on any of your electronic devices.
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6. Go with friends. Make it a roommate outing but make sure they won’t be too distracting.
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7. Make a schedule. Plan on studying for each subject for a certain amount of time. Switching subjects every so often keeps your brain interested and prevents you from dozing off.
8. Have some kind of motivation. Whether it is a lunch break or thinking about something fun that you are doing over break, keep that motivation in mind to get you through the rough patches of studying.
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9. Coffee. Caffeine will give you the energy you need to get through the next couple of days but be careful with this one—too much coffee may result in you bouncing off the walls and messing around.
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10. Make a playlist. Everyone listens to music while they study. Make a custom "Finals" playlist that will keep you focused and eager to hear the next song.
These 10 tips will help get you through the week while ensuring some sort of motivation. Good luck and keep your head up.
roommate as a therapist
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a couple of dogs laying on top of a couch
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bacon strips and melted cheese topped fries on oval white and blue platter with gray stainless steel forks
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taking care of a sick friend
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Little Golden Book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
curiousbeartoys.com— Snow White, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".
The world has turned into a very dark place. Bad things overshadow the good and it’s hard to find something that isn’t negative. Try and be the one positive thing in a world full of negativity. It isn’t always the easiest thing, but it’s worth it.
www.flickr.com— Rafiki, "The Lion King".
Everyone has things in their past that they want to forget. Dwelling on the past only holds you back. To start the new year right, it’s best to move forward and forget it. Make new memories and experiences, and make them great. Soon 2018 will be the past, and you want to make it good.
Lumiere figure at the Disney Store at the Ala Moana Shoppi… | Flickrwww.flickr.com— Lumière, "Beauty and the Beast"Being afraid never gets you anywhere. It’s okay to be scared occasionally, but to make your year great you have to be willing to take risks and make sacrifices. You have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone in order to be great.
www.flickr.com— Laverne, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
You can’t just sit back and watch your life go by. Most people are content going with the flow of society. Be different. Be hardworking. Take risks. Live your life by doing, not by watching.
www.redballoontoystore.com— Grandmother Willow, "Pocahontas"
Good things never come easy. You have to be willing to work your hardest to achieve great things.
www.flickr.com— Jiminy Cricket, "Pinocchio"
This one speaks for itself. Trust your gut and your instincts. You know yourself better than anyone else.
www.flickr.com— Buzz Lightyear, "Toy Story"
The sky is the limit. A new year is full of endless possibilities. Dream big and make it great.
www.redballoontoystore.com— Pooh, "Winnie the Pooh"
So many people today are so concerned with their problems. Half of the time they don’t even solve them, they just complain. It’s about the experience you have, good or bad. Good experiences create good memories, and bad experiences make good life lessons. So focus on the experience, not the problem.
curiousbeartoys.com— Elsa, "Frozen"
Best. Line. Ever. Don’t get caught up in your struggles or stressed out by life. Let everything go. Move on, and live life.
www.flickr.com— Thumper, "Bambi"
As I said before, there are many bad things happening in the world today. That’s because there’s a lot of bad people, but there’s also a lot of good people. Be a good person. Say nice things. Add to the good, not to the bad.
www.flickr.com— Genie, "The Return of Jafar"
Cherish each moment. Most things you experience only happen once in our lives, so you need to appreciate them. Take pictures. Get off social media. Life your life and make memories with people who care about you.
So instead of sulking in my long days and longer weeks left until spring I decided to take some action – to bring some excitement into my life – an official bucket list.
I started brainstorming things of what I want to do right here, right now. Things that are feasible and achievable, because a lot of our wants will be expensive, timely, etc. So first, I came up with a solid list of ten things I want to do in the PNW (the Pacific Northwest, where I live). I am here for less than a year but that does not make my stay anymore welcoming. It has been hard for me to adjust, so finding things I can explore and do here is definitely and already helping me get excited about living here.
Now that I am approaching the state of Washington with some enthusiasm and motivation to explore, it has made this transition not so gloomy. I started jotting down simple things like to explore the Olympic National Park (free), camp on the Pacific Beaches (no more than $20 a tent), climb Mount Rainer (free), bike the San Juan Islands, spend time in Seattle and Portland etc. These are things I can accomplish with more or less a limited budget, but things that seem really awesome to me. Yours could be to visit all the farmers markets or national parks in your area or all the music festivals… whatever you are interested in.
I then decided what are the bigger things in my life that I want to personally accomplish… for me it is to be an author, visit all fifty states etc. these are things that I am currently accomplishing so I put them in a different category. This is a way to acknowledge that I am working my way to fully achieving these goals. It helps to make you feel better about where you are because you are in the middle of working toward that goal. It could be as simple as wanting to be an awesome chef, well if you are already cooking, you are on your way to accomplishing that part of your bucket list. My advice is to first think of things within yourself, without anyone's advice or opinion. Then you can discover things you personally really want to do and once you have a solid list from yourself then go expand your list by searching places around you, taking advice from friends, etc.
I finally made a list of expensive, timely and awesome things I want to do in life. Such as, backpack South America, go on an African Safari, sky dive etc. These are the long-term goals that will take time and finances to accomplish. But keeping them on your bucket list is important because it reminds you of your wishes, desires and what will bring more excitement to your life. For example, I do not plan on doing an African Safari in this decade… but it is something I would like to accomplish in thirty years. That is awhile down the road, but having it there as a reminder of the things you are working toward is a fulfilling feeling.
I decided since I have several months left to explore I need to take advantage. For these reasons precisely: I know I am never moving back to the PNW so I mine as well take the only opportunity I have to explore the most of this area so when I look back I can say, “Yes I lived there and I did this, this, and that." So when the time comes that I pack up my stuff for my next chapter I will know this past chapter of life in the PNW was properly written and an exciting chapter for anyone to read.
Because I have these several months I decided to make sure I do at least two exciting things per month until my departure date. This month I camped in the Olympic National Park and I snowboarded at Crystal Mountain. These are two things on my now bucket list.
For you, start jotting down simple things you want to do in your area that you have yet to adventure to. Make a timeline for yourself, to do one thing on that now bucket list once a month, or like me twice a month. Whatever works for you, start living outside your bubble. Trust me, it will make the days at work a little brighter knowing you are fulfilling your desires and growing your horizons.
I went to Michael’s and I bought a board I could hang up on the wall (any type will do, wood/plastic/paperback etc.). Then I bought super glue, clips, colored paper and stickers. You can do it anyway you want – for me, I cut up the pieces of paper and wrote my list on them. I color coordinated them:
Vibrant blue is the now… what I will accomplish before I move from the PNW
Light blue is things I am currently working at achieving, (I.e. visiting the 50 states, I am over half way there)
Dark blue is long-term activities
It was super easy and I think it looks nice. While it gave me something to do while it was raining outside it also puts a smile on my face every time I walk by it.
If you want to go even farther to acknowledge your achievements as you cross things off your bucket list you should create another board listing all the things you have done. I made another board so once I accomplish that goal I move it over to my "Accomplishments" board to remind myself that I am living in the now and doing what I can to make my dreams come true.
It is a great reminder because although we have to go to class or sit at a desk all day, life is still good. Life is good because we are working toward our goals. Do not let your work be stressful or tedious but fill it with passion knowing this work is bringing you closer toward accomplishing your life's desires.
When thinking about your bucket list, it is important to take action. A coworker the other day was saying, “there are people that can and people that do.” And I looked at her for an extra second to digest that. So true. We can all achieve our bucket list and goals but we have to do or else we will get nowhere. So the first step is doing, making this bucket list board or jotting stuff down on piece of paper and hanging it on your refrigerator. Inspire your roommates, inspire yourself and go explore all you can while you are here, right now.
DK
