Dear Brutus,
Midterms week is coming up and I’ve got a lot to do. I have two tests and a huge paper, and I have to get ready for fall break. How am I supposed to deal with everything thrown at me this week?
Sincerely,
Seriously Stressing
Dear Seriously Stressing,
I feel you. Midterms week can be hard and fall break is just around the corner, but push through it! You can do this! Take things one day at a time and, if you haven’t already, make a to do list. Prioritize it by the things that need the most attention: aka the things that need to be done/studied for first. If you can, split your list up into small, easily achievable tasks. This way, you can cross more things off your list, and crossing things off lists always makes me feel accomplished, so I’m sure it will help you too!
Separate your study times into manageable blocks, such as “study Unit 1 for 30 minutes” then, “take a 5-10 minute break.” After you study Unit 1, you can cross it off your list and feel like you’re getting work done instead of just writing, “study for Humanities exam” and having to wait to cross it off until you feel like you’ve studied enough. Do the same thing for your paper. If you need to do research for it, make that its own individual task. Then make into a task each paragraph or point you need to make.
As soon as you finish each item, cross it off the list and take a short break — unless you get into the flow of things, then keep writing. If you’ve been studying or smashing out that paper for what seems like forever, reward yourself by planning out your itinerary for break or starting to pack.
By separating your time between school and preparations for break, you’re getting yourself excited for the upcoming vacation, which will hopefully motivate you to get your work done. This will also help you from feeling burned out.
And speaking of getting burned out, make sure to eat food that will fuel you, not just hold you over. Those pop tarts are easy and quick, but try to eat something a little more substantial with less sugar, even if it’s quick oats or an apple and peanut butter. And, I know it can be difficult, but try to get enough sleep as well. I’ve had my fair share of all-nighters studying for a test and it’s brutal. And if there’s nothing else to motivate you to study, just remind yourself, in a few short days you’ll be on break and the semester will be half over. Hang in there!
Good luck,
Brutus