Finals is undoubtedly the worst time of year. Hell, even one of my professors talked for a good portion of the lecture about how much she despises the whole concept of testing all semester only to be tested again in rapid succession at the end of it all.
To me, finals are nightmarish, especially since I am so darn awful at studying. I've never been good at it; I mostly used common sense and payed attention very well in class in high school (okay, most of the time I payed attention,) but this will not cut it in college, kiddos, let me tell you. To keep this short and sweet (especially because you probably clicked on this article to look for something to avoid studying; I know your tricks) I'm going to tell you all my best roundabout studying habits that will be sure to put the odds in your favor.
1. Live and let die (your phone battery, that is)
We all know that when you bring your phone with you while you’re studying, you tend to not get a lot of work done, as the pull of checking Instagram to see a new picture of Marnie is extremely enticing. To stay strong in the 11th hour, I bring my phone with e but have it at a low battery percentage so I have it in case of an emergency but there’s not enough life left to play Animal Crossing for the 84th time that day.
2. Leave your space
It’s incredibly difficult to focus when you’re trying to sit right in your chair, there’s stuff all over your desk, and you’re tripping over laundry every time you get up. I’m telling you, forcing yourself to go to the furthest study spot on campus away from your dorm (or car) is going to force you to stay where you are and get work done rather than giving in to the urge to flop on your warm bed and call it an early night.
3. Accountabilibuddies
It's a really long word to say a really simple thing, I promise. When you’re studying, something that will help a good amount is sitting in a more public space. You’re less likely to start scrolling through Tumblr looking at your favorite fandom page or watching “Bridget Jones’ Diary” when there are professors walking behind you in Starbucks. Keeping your screen viewable to the general public means you’re not gonna pull any tomfoolery; you’re just going to stick to your work (unless you straight up don’t care, and in that case more power to you but you’re going to have to use another study tactic.)
4. Grow a tree
Might as well make your time useful and grow a tree. In an app, of course. There are a lot of useful study apps out there, but my personal favorite that works on smartphones AND desktops is the Forest app. This app lets you set a timer of how long you want to work, and as you work, it grows a tree on screen. But beware, if you stray from the app on your phone, or you go to a restricted website like a social media page on your laptop, your tree will die and then you will be sad which makes ME sad, so just grow your tree and don’t make me sad OK?
Finals is a rough time—you certainly don’t have to tell me, but with a few tips and tricks that have been given the seal of approval by the worst studier ever, you too can bring home that 4.0 that we all dream about.
