Studying Hack: Take a Break
Finals are coming up, and most of us have fallen victim to the mentality that we can’t take a study break or else the world might come crashing down. As the work starts piling up, we make it worse by calculating the hours it’s going to take to study instead of buckling down and actually studying. We plan out the perfect study spot and give ourselves a time limit for each class before we have to move on to the next. Then, the anxiety begins to set in after a few hours of stressing out, and still, nothing has been accomplished.
It is this mentality that leads to our own self-destruction. We are all guilty of it, whether that be every day, week, semester or year. Instead of writing that paper or studying for an exam we have in literally 13 hours (of course you counted), we waste a couple more hours scrolling through Instagram or checking our email for the 12th time.
Along the way, we have picked up a couple of tips that will get you motivated but also allow you to unwind:
Turn off your Snapchat notifications
This small change has been a lifesaver. Whether you are stressed about work or life, removing the reminder to waste hours sending selfies will reduce your stress level by a million. Before turning the notifications off, you probably would have found yourself mindlessly refreshing the screen every few minutes. It takes a little getting used to, but after a couple of hours, you will forget you even have an account.
2. Log out of Instagram and read a book for fun
This step is to be taken when procrastinating has reached an expert level. Don’t stress too much— with almost one click, you will be logged back in and back to double-tapping. Use that time you would have spent staring at a screen and transfer it to real-life pages in a book. Getting off your phone will help make the transition into the actual work you need to get done a little easier.
3. Round up some friends and go for a “mom walk”, but leave your phone at home
Getting outside (especially in nice weather) will clear your head and put you in a better mindset to focus. Whether you need to burn off some pent up energy or are in need of some social interaction before you lock yourself away in the library, rounding up some friends and enjoying the outdoors will inevitably prepare you for the long hours of studying to come.
4. Put any and all group chats on do not disturb
It always seems like the second you sit down to commit yourself to an assignment, every person you have ever met decides to strike up a conversation. If something is that urgent, they can pick up the phone and call. By removing the constant notifications from your screen, you can funnel all that energy you would have spent reading the group chat drama into the work that will actually impact your grades.
5. Put your phone on airplane mode, blast some music, and clean your room
Yes, maybe you won’t be productive in a way that affects your GPA, but at least you can check something off the list you have probably been putting off for a little too long. Let yourself zone out, put on your favorite playlist, fold that stack of clothes strewn across your desk chair and check out mentally as you prepare to go full-steam ahead on whatever is haunting your to-do list.
Whether it's designating an hour or so to mentally refreshing or just setting yourself up for productivity, these steps are sure to improve your mindset when it actually comes time to hit the books.