The Ultimate Finals Season Cheat Sheet

Written by Alexa Ojeda, Photos by Sophia Howard, Design by Alyssa Hoppie, Media by Emma Garza

With endless research papers and tests piling up, students from all walks of life are preparing for the seven-day trek commonly dreaded as “Finals Week.” As the semester is drawing to a close and holidays like Christmas are inciting festive moods, the motivation to study can run low. This ultimately leads to the well-known tactic students in and out of college resort to: procrastination. Instead of writing a research paper, you binge an entire Netflix show. You reorganize your room to switch up its ambiance. In general, you divert to other tasks to avoid the most pressing matter: your mountain of impending deadlines. Sound familiar? Especially when finals week rolls around, many struggle to fix their bad habits. No worries, because we’ve listed below some ways to improve your diligence and avoid late-night cramming (hint: it involves getting assignments done on time).

The “Flora” App

With more than two million downloads, this app is the stepping stone to putting down our phones and focusing on the more important tasks of our day. Whether it’s homework, tests, or projects, Flora allows the user to set aside an amount of time to not use their phone. If they accomplish that feat, they grow a full-grown tree. However, if they quit early, the tree dies and all progress made is officially lost. With time limits from 10 minutes to two hours, the app’s set of constraints shape users' usage tendencies and gradually lessens their gravitation toward their phones. There's even an added credit card feature that allows a brave user to set a monetary penalty for succumbing to phone usage. For visual learners, seeing the progression of the tree’s growth every minute can encourage them to reach their concentration goal. 

Study Locations

From a quiet library to a cozy coffee shop, or even sitting at your desk, a suitable location to do your work is incredibly important. Create an environment of deliberate isolation to eliminate any hint of procrastination and to simply feel comfortable in. Depending on your study habits, a public or private setting can make the biggest difference in progression of your to-do list. Playing around and discovering new study spots is not only an enjoyable experience, but it also strengthens your work ethic! Whether you’re hard at work at 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. in your “special spot,” procrastination will hopefully cease to exist. 

Regular Breaks

Throwing textbooks into a bag—banana and Cheez-Its in tow—and rushing out the door is all too familiar. School days can be very fast-paced. Depending on your schedule, that can mean minimal breaks between classes, homework, and study sessions. From the five minute TikTok session that turns into an hour of scrolling through your ForYou page, to a 10-minute shut-eye that turns into two hours of napping, finding a healthy balance can be challenging! By incorporating breaks in your schedule, you’re able to avoid procrastination by designating moments to breathe. This can range from compiling a to-do list to filling out a bullet journal, specifying which points in the day you can give yourself a pause. Avoid breaking your concentration or create a spontaneous opportunity to delay any assignments!

Study Music

Music is an essential part of our lives and can help set the tone for any environment you’re in. The time to hit the play button on that study vibes playlist is finally upon us. From slow songs and reverb albums to even classical and lo-fi music, study music can contribute greatly to your space. These enjoyable beats can calm your nerves without distracting you from the tasks at hand. Playlists can energize you and minimize any possibility of postponing studying. Instead of struggling to focus with the surrounding noise of your environment, choose an album that best serves your needs to push you to accomplish your task. Why not check off your last paper while playing your favorite song?

The inevitable truth: procrastination is a hole everyone can fall into at least once in their lives. With diligence and grace, its risks can be mitigated. During finals season, don’t wallow in your stress and stock up on all-nighter essentials. Instead, take on your projects head-on. Channel your mental energy toward a willful mindset (and the tips above) and the procrastination can’t win.