Thanksgiving is right around the corner and not only does that mean moist turkey, fluffy stuffing, and tart cranberries are in our future, but so are dreaded finals. Finals week is about as welcome as water in a leaking ship, but I’ve managed to get through my fair share of finals weeks over the years and want to share with you all some tried and true techniques I use to keep from heading off the deep end.
- Get off social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Snap Chat are very efficient time sucks. Sure they’re all great for a five-minute study break, but often that five minutes suddenly turns into an hour and you’re nowhere closer to acing that exam than you were an hour ago.
- Eat Breakfast – Whether you got 4 or 8 hours of sleep last night, start your day off right with a healthy breakfast. It’ll give you energy to get things done early and put you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
- Create a Schedule – and stick to it! Set times that you are going to study for specific classes and split the material into achievable chunks. This way you can keep track of what you’ve accomplished instead of looking at the big picture and getting overwhelmed.
- Believe in Yourself – Don’t underestimate your abilities. Henry Ford said it best, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right”.
- Draw It Out – Creating tables, diagrams, or pictures of material can help you remember it in a crunch when your brain is already tired during a Friday final.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy studying!
-Katie Jacobs
