Tips on Making the Final Push

As I have probably mentioned in the last couple of posts, I want to start off this week by emphasizing how important self care is!  This past weekend, I was able to go back home and hang out with my family (Random story: a peacock even stumbled across our house and sat in front of our porch for a solid five hours).  Putting the stories aside, I was able to regain my energy to conquer the rather scary amount of work that piles up during the last month of the semester.  So for today’s message, I want to share a couple of tips on how to avoid pulling all nighters and increasing stress.

The first one is: become best friends with your planner.  Personally, I like jotting things down and planning each week.  I have a handy planner with me and I make sure to jot down which assignments I need to get done for the day as well as the activities I have to attend.  This way, nothing comes unexpectedly and it is easier for me to break down bigger projects before the deadline so I’m not freaking out at the last minute.  The feeling of crossing out something is personally relaxing, and makes me more productive.  

Next, it is super important to move around!  These past couple of weeks I felt sluggish and tired, because I would always be glued down to my chair doing work.  Recently, I made a pact to make sure I would exercise for around half an hour every day.  This increases my energy as well as my concentration levels. In addition, having a balanced diet is super important because we college students need the nutrients to conquer the day (although I’m not opposed to Scripps snack, but maybe cutting down the number of trips to get Scripps cookies isn’t so bad).

Finally, know your priorities.  Unfortunately, there isn’t much time until finals come upon us.  If I know I have a lot of tests, essays, or projects to study for, I get a guilty gut feeling that going out for the night before might not be the best idea (but hey, if that helps you take your mind off things, by all means do what you gotta do).  Of course, it is definitely hard to be sitting in your room studying while your friends are going out, but most of the time, I don’t regret spending the extra hours doing work and getting a good night’s rest.  Also, it is even more rewarding to spend a night with friends or going on an adventure after accomplishing that essay or exam.  
Although I know this might not work out for every student, these three pieces have definitely worked for me in the long run.  Not only have I been able to be more productive, but I have become more comfortable with my learning styles and sense of self-discipline.  

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