It was about a month before finals week when I found this really cool show on Netflix. (If you haven’t noticed, a lot of my articles revolve around Netflix and that is because I am hopelessly addicted and I’m not afraid to admit it.) It looked really interesting, and hey it’s only 77 episodes. That’s like a number between "Hart of Dixie" and "Friends." It’s totally doable, so I press the “play” button. That’s mistake number one. The second mistake is me actually liking this show. I am completely hooked from the pilot, so naturally, I want to see more and more. But the homework keeps piling up and when I want to be watching my show, I’m in the library writing copious amounts of papers. Time starts to fly by as I go through the motions of school, finding time for myself (and when I say myself, I mean watching my show, obviously) and suddenly finals week is looming in the horizon.
So now, it’s the beginning of finals week for me at college. And I’m trying, I’m really trying to stay focused. There’s just so many tests firing at me at a rapid pace. My brain is already getting foggy and I desperately try to focus on the math problems that are swimming in front of my eyes. The numbers and symbols blur together as I blink desperately, trying to clear my vision. I’ve hit the “finals week slump” which I like to dub as the lowest point of motivation one could possibly have. It’s like entering the black abyss and it takes so much effort to even crawl out of that dark place.
via cambio.com
But here I am. I’m at that point. I can’t focus and my mind is screaming at me to stop trying to remember facts. So I cave. Instead of doing those extra math problems, I go to Netflix and watch an episode, but that quickly spirals into four or five. Even more surprisingly, I actually started doing some studying too and pretty soon, I’ve mastered the art of studying and listening to television. I’m out of my slump, and man, am I on a role. I’ve knocked out about seven hours of work without even complaining, but I also like to slyly remark that I’ve also watched seven hours of Netflix.
via mashable.com
The real problem comes when I’m on the last season and I’m so close to being done with my finals studying, but suddenly, my attention is geared towards my show. I’m stuck between my responsibilities of finals week (which is a huge responsibility) and my love for this show. And so far, Netflix is totally winning. Much to the chagrin of probably my parents, and even myself, I definitely allow myself to indulge. The episodes keep playing, and damn that 15 seconds which basically is how much time you have to make a life-changing decision because it always gets me in the end. But I’m suddenly watching the series finale and 1) my life is spiraling out of control because I basically dedicated myself to this television show for the past month but 2) I’m completely slacking on my finals work and I definitely regret staying up until 2 in the morning watching Netflix.
via ifunny.co
Now that the show is over, I do what every person would do: re-watch the series. But I have a catch: now, I know what happens, so I pay only half attention and focus more on my schoolwork. And surely enough, it works. I don’t really watch the show because I know what’s happening visually, so I keep it on as background noise as I dive back into the real world of finals and continue chugging away. Now, everything seems much lighter and I finally feel like I can finish strong. So to all my friends who are either currently in the same situation I am or just having the ultimate struggle between Netflix and actual responsibilities, I believe in you, and we can do this! Prayers are appreciated during this time.
Happy Finals Week!
via hercampus.com
