These Three Tips Will Work Wonders on Your Finals Week Mindset

Changing Your Finals Week Mindset

Article by Grace Doering, Graphic by Kaelee Crowder

Motivation during the last few weeks before finals is a struggle we’ve all had experience with. This struggle has become a lot more relevant in this spring semester with college students staying at home due to COVID-19. 

What we tend to forget is that the finish line is closer than we realize. We have to remember the end goal, why we are putting in all these hard study hours, and that life will go on no matter how hard times are. 

While we’ve become accustomed to using our technology for school anyway, attending online school seems like a whole new world. Even though we’re not on campus, the distractions at home are still so real. Going from seeing home as a resting place for holiday breaks to our new classroom means making major adjustments, especially when it comes to prepping for finals. These three tips are essential for getting your finals off to a productive start, and finishing off strong.

Create a schedule

This might seem boring at first, but your productivity will thrive as a result of having a well-organized schedule. Having a laid out schedule of your day/week can not only give you structure for getting schoolwork done, but also help you to not go totally stir-crazy during social distancing. Schedules give you a routine that you have to work through, which is kind of like a fun game. All you have to do is get through the list/schedule task by task so you can reward yourself with something fun and relaxing at the end of the day. Write out your schedule, make it cute, and keep up with it to stay on top of your studies and improve your personal growth as well.  

Have a clean workspace

After you have a set schedule, it’s time to get to work. “This might sound kind of basic but having a clean workspace works wonders when trying to focus on schoolwork,” says A-Line Editor-in-chief Emma Garza. This is actually an amazing tip that can be very beneficial to not only our work productivity but our mentality as well. When our space is cluttered we can find ourselves feeling suffocated and stressed. Clearing your workspace can increase focus, decrease distractions, and improve composure. Keep your desk space clean and keep clutter to a minimum by just having your laptop, a drink (coffee, tea, H20), your notes/books neatly set up on one side of the computer, and even a candle if you’re into ~cozy vibes~ while studying.

Spend time on your hobbies

Hobbies can be the ultimate motivation to get more studying done. Start looking at your hobbies as incentives to be as productive as possible during the hours of 9 am-5pm, for example, so you can have something exciting to look forward to at the end of each day. Whether it’s playing Animal Crossing, creating a graphic design, or even baking banana bread, your extracurricular passions are essential to your wellbeing. Why not reward your hard work with a good sketching sesh?

Remember your end goal. While we can’t be in the typical college atmosphere, we need to remember why we have put so many hard hours into studying and not let COVID-19 get us down. We are all in this together.

Photos courtesy of Kyle Glenn & Green Chameleon via Unsplash