Ways to survive the stress of finals
If only I could follow my own advice
So, yours truly is the Tsarina of procrastination…
And as I sit down at 9.11pm to start studying for two very important finals in less than 48 hours I thought it would be productive to sabotage my grades further.
I am by no means an expert and I know everyone has their own study techniques, but here are a few quick points I’ve learned the hard way throughout my time at NYU thus far about finals…
Make a task list
This is a personal favorite. So I make lists for everything from the books I want to read in the next year to face masks I want to buy to dinner date ideas to cute coffee shops to random galleries in Chelsea — heck I even have one simple, task list one too!
I get this perverse pleasure from crossing things off the list as if every task required me to climb Mount Everest. Yes, you’ll never be as neurotically tight wound as me, BUT there is an upside to making a list. It gives you the opportunity to jot down and create realistically achievable goals. Lists also remove the unnecessary stress of keeping a bunch of things on your mind in fear you forget something. Structure your time by hours or days depending how close the final is and reduce that stress.
Example:
Guys….dinner places though…
Yes, getting your nails done is just as important as your paper
Sleep
Yes, you forgot to study for that one final but at this point sleep is more important than your hands shaking from being over caffeinated the next day (been there done that).
I’m not saying pass out at 6pm after spending the whole day on Facebook, but at the same time (even though I know you aren’t going to do this), sleep is way more important than an extra hour of revision that isn’t actually going to sink in.
Do ‘productive’ procrastination/set a reward
If you’re going to waste time do it in a productive manner.
Have a set amount of time when you are going to surf the web in a guilt free manner. For example after an hour worth of productive revision give yourself 15 minutes to listen to music, eat something bad or reply to you mom’s text. (I love you mom).
For every page of notes you get a Haribo!
OR for the really cool people, how about going to work out?
Getting those endorphins pumping will keep you motivated for longer! Just saying. (Please don’t throw pies at me in anger).
- Yes, I felt blurry after this…As you can see I’m more of a turtle during exercise…
Disconnect to reconnect…or whatever
As someone whose phone at this point has become just another bone in her body this is hard to say: Delete and turn off. Your friends will be there once you’re done and there’s no use in posting on Instagram when all of your followers are at Bobst…
While I’m not strong enough to turn off my phone altogether I’ve taken necessary measures by deleting Instagram and Facebook messenger. I also put it on Airplane mode when I’m ‘in the zone’.
Yes. Turn it off. Right now. Off.
Crunch time special
I am all about that ‘last minute crunch’ but even that has to be done productively. If you are at the point of no return (aka the 2am night before the exam) Plan A: go to bed.
If that fails, Plan B: prioritize the material by looking through the syllabus, look over old assignments and focus on what you really, really don’t know. Don’t panic! Keep a cool head. It always seems like there is so much material, but divide your work by little tasks and you’ll reach the ultimate goal.
All in all though, you, yes you, you beautiful unicorn are way more important. So yes you may get a sucky GPA but you’ll be alive. It’s all about that glass half full.
It’s ok to cry sometimes.
Sincerely,
The ghost of procrastination past…
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