By Margo Lawson
For most students, going back for a second semester of school can be grueling, exhausting, and seem pointless. It is hard to focus on school when all you want is for it to be summer vacation already. With the growing stress of finals, exams, and only having a couple of weeks to make sure your grades are where you want them to be, it can be an extremely stressful and difficult time for students. If you feel yourself resonating with that, then here are some tips to try to stay motivated, stress-free, and confident as you finish out this school year.
First, it is very important to realize that school is not everything, and your mental wellbeing is also very important. Doing simple strategies like only working for hour-long blocks and making sure you are getting plenty of sleep can help the time you are doing school be more productive and useful overall.
Next, I would recommend staying organized, both physically and mentally. Do you even know where all those papers are from the first semester? Or are they shoved in the back of your binder without a purpose? How about your online assignments? Putting all of your Docs into a folder, or making a space where you can go through and see all of your assignments can do wonders for your mind and motivation. I tend to find that if my online work and physical work are in order, my mind is also in better order.
Now that everything is organized and you are feeling a bit more ready to tackle some of the work, where do you even start? Well, some people learn in different ways so you should find what works best for you, but here are several strategies you can implement that might help make your study time more effective.
Map out your time. Write in a planner or anywhere what you need to get done in one day and break it up into realistic chunks. Do not tell yourself that you are going to write a paper and take a test and study and do five assignments all in one day.Then, if you don’t get everything done, you might be disappointed in yourself. Instead, figure out how much time you have, and give yourself a realistic amount of work based on your schedule.
Turn off the distractions. Yes, I know it’s hard to not be constantly checking your phone when it’s right there, so do what you have to. Power it off, put it in a different room, a locked box, literally anything! Working with distractions is not feasible most of the time, so just for an hour, try putting it away, and you might be shocked with what you are able to get done.
Prioritize! What one thing is most important to get done, and what is less important? Your time is precious, so focus on what you need to do most. Tell yourself, “if I only have time to do one thing for this class today, what should it be?”
Practice positive thinking. It might sound silly, but saying something positive to yourself at the beginning and end of the day can do wonders for your mental health and your motivation. It can be long, or short, you can say it in the mirror or write it down, but practice being kind to yourself, no matter what you get done or don’t end up doing.
Take a break! Rest is just as important as work, and life should have a balance. Go outside, take a nap, read a book, do something that your mind and body crave and that will help you to stay feeling refreshed and ready for the next assignment.
Staying focused in the second semester is always more difficult, but if you implement a routine that helps you stay focused, limit your distractions, and prioritize your work, you will find yourself feeling more fulfilled and confident in school and all aspects of your life.
Comments