I am currently in the middle of midterms and cannot even began to quantify the amount of stress I am feeling. Stress from wondering how I did on the exam last week to stress from upcoming exams of this week. I can’t help but want to go back to last weekend where I was able to relax at home (even though I should have been studying)! With every semester, I try to not let the stress consume me too much, even though it’s easier said than done. It’s my senior year of college already and I have yet to master these ridiculous stress levels during midterm/final times. It’s so hard to prioritize all the million and one things going on at the same time! From exams, other classes’ homework assignments, to work and carving some time out for myself, it is all a balancing act, which I’m sure all of you have experienced! For these times, I make sure I have a list of things to keep in mind and to do to keep myself from stabbing my eyeballs out👀
Make An Attack Plan
I am a HUGE procrastinator. A fault that I have been trying super hard to tackle and better, but it definitely has not been easy! I tell myself I want to study for an exam two weeks in advance and I don’t actually start until 2 days before….it’s bad, I know 🙃 What does help with curbing my procrastinating tendencies is to make a proactive effort to use my agenda. I write down every assignment and due date while also making to-do lists for each day. Dividing up a larger task into smaller bite-size bits makes the whole ordeal more manageable. Sometimes when I know I have A LOT to get done, I make sure to schedule my days down to the minute. For some reason, this really pushes me to be on top of my goals for the day!
Plan Break Times
This is soooo important! The times where stress is taking over your life or you are bombarded with so many deadlines, the number one priority is to make sure your head is cleared and ready to go. From the scheduling thing that I first mentioned, I always schedule in 10-20 minute intervals in the middle of switching between tasks to take a moment and decompress. It could be going to the bathroom, grabbing some snacks, taking a walk, getting some fresh air, checking your phone or watching a short video. The list can go on and on, but you get the gist—do something that can clear your mind a lil’! So often I just keep going and going and I am not retaining any information or being as productive as I could be. A lil’ break can never hurt! 😋
Have A Goal
Is there a certain thing you want done by some certain day? Is there a certain grade you want to achieve? How much do you want to finish today? These are just some of the few questions I ask myself every day. If I am being completely honest, some answers don’t motivate me to do anything while some pushes me to my limits. Most of the time I am aiming for that high grade (which is debatable with my study techniques at times) while other times I just want to a get a certain number of tasks completed. Have a mental note of your goal to work towards, whether it’s for the day or more long term! 👍🏼
Sleep!
I think many of you already know that I love my sleep. I basically live for naps. No amount of sleep has ever been enough ever since I started college! I remember pulling ridiculous almost-all-nighters, because I am to weak for full-all-nighters, and doing extremely bad on my exams…which totally defeats the purpose. I’m someone who much rather go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier to complete something. I feel like I am always preaching to those around me to make sure they are getting enough sleep and ironic enough I am doing it to you haha. Our brain’s retention rate just keeps decreasing if we are too tired and not as focused as we should be. So catch some zzzz’s! 😴
These are my top tips for being more productive during times of stress or overload. I know it’s midterm week(s) for most colleges so I am wishing those people lots and lots of good luck…I know I need as much luck as I can get! I’v been drinking lots of coffee because I have developed an obsession that I hope doesn’t lead to an addiction lol 😅Gotta get back to studying for this upcoming midterm now…but I am wishing you all the happiest of week to come! 🤗
Until my next lil’ thought then!
Jen❣️
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