Dear Fellow Procrastinator,
If you're reading this then you are in one of the following situations -
- It's a week from finals and you need help.
- It's Finals Week, and you need help.
- It's after Finals Week, and you want to see what you could have done to make it better.
- It's none of the above in which case, early bird gets the worm so good job!
I write this as a college student because I know how it feels to be in this boat and so, to have small tips & tricks to go about your work does help. Don't worry! I'm not going to ask you do to unreasonable tasks or change your lifestyle, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
Start by logging out all your social media accounts on your laptop as well as on your phone especially Netflix.
(Note: I'm not asking you to stop using social media but instead just log out every time you use it)
Why, you wonder? Because as petty as it might sound, needing to login every time will reduce the chances of you going back online. Countless hours have been wasted by us on Facebook or because of your nemesis - Autoplay on Netflix. Every time you log out, you will feel like you a sense of conclusion to your study break, and every time you try to log on when you have other things to do - your brain's going to be like 'bruh, what are the hell do you think you're doing?'
Answer this: What kind of environment do you study best in?
That last paper that you got an A on or that exam you kicked some major butt in has one thing in common - you were studying someplace where you in THE ZONE. There are different kinds of zones of course, some people work best in pin drop silence while others like blasting music in their ears while studying. There are also those who work well in groups, that's awesome though remember that chances are that if one of you gets distracted in the group then it spreads through the rest.
Oh and one more thing - it's scientifically proven that we remember better during exams if we study in the environment that we are giving the exam in. So in silence and using a particular kind of pencil or pen maybe? *hint hint nudge nudge*
To-Do List - Yay or Nay?
While almost everyone is going to say make a list, I'm going to suggest taking a step back and thinking instead. For some, making a list is a good way of getting things out of their head and down on paper. It makes it easier to organize and manage time, but there are others who make a list because their friends are making one and then feel overwhelmed because of the length of list finally resulting in demotivation and frustration. We don't want that!
Rest
You are human. You need rest. No amount of coffee or 5 hour energy drink or even Red Bull will do you any good while studying because the more of this stuff you drink, the harder you will crash at the end of it. I know it's easy to tell yourself that you can rest after finals, but it's really not worth it. 5-6 hours of sleep a night is more than enough and being rested also helps perform in exams as well as with information recall.
Quizlet Flashcards are your best friends
Exams are their way, and you don't have the time to go through all the notes and readings? Use Quizlet to make sure you have flashcards on all important points and topics that you need to cover. There are pre-existing flashcards almost always online and you just need to find them.
It's okay to ask for help.
Professors as well as classmates. For some of you, this might be stepping out of your comfort zone, but it's always better to ask for help and clear your doubts before writing the term paper or going in for the final exam. Either you don't get help, which leaves you leave at the same place, but more often than not, people will step forward to lend a helping hand.
Check your knowledge by teaching it to someone else
You have an exam coming up and need to know exactly how prepared you are for it. If you know other students in your class, get together with them and take turns in teaching different topics to one another. This will not only prepare you better but also bring up doubts that you might not have thought about initially.
What I want you to know is that you got this. It might not feel like it, but you are going to get through this, do well and it is going to be alright!
All The Best!
With hope, from a fellow procrastinator.
S.S.
