So It is officially the end of the semester. There is only one week of classes left (not including the next two days and Thanksgiving Break). I went through a mid-semester slump and dug my way out of it fairly quickly, but now that it’s the end of the semester, I’m getting hit hard.
I have two papers due this week. If you include blog posts with that number, I will have written more than 20 pages by the end of this week. One of those papers is due tomorrow and is worth 25% of my grade. Thank God I don’t have any tests this week, otherwise, I’d be screwed.
The workload isn’t really that bad. It’s just that I have no motivation to do anything. In the last week or so, I couldn’t even really bring myself to read on the train or watch T.V. I partly blame this on the election results, but that really isn’t it. I just have a very long to-do list and I can’t bring myself to cross stuff off. My slump ended yesterday, so I was finally able to get stuff done and follow a plan where I wouldn’t wait until the last minute.
Since I know there are many students experiencing this right now, I decided to write a post on what I did to get myself out of this slump.
//Make A Plan
A very detailed and well thought out plan. You need to schedule breaks and meal times. You need to make a long-term plan on what chapters to study on what days. You need to make daily and weekly to-do lists. This is the biggest way to get out of a slump. At least for me. Having a game plan really helps me get my head in the right space.
//Study Over Break
Odds are you are going to have a study period and/or a Thanksgiving Break to get some work done. This is one of the reasons I was able to calm myself down. Having a Thanksgiving Break was something for me to fall back on and make plans for. The week before Thanksgiving was somewhat of a trainwreck even though I got all my necessary work done. I’ve been pretty good at studying during Thanksgiving Break thus far. I only have a one day study period before finals, so I don’t want to put too much pressure on that. Studying and working over break will help you cross stuff off your to-do list.
//Study Productively
After a certain point, I just read the same page over and over again. My time would be used more productively if I blog or take a break to watch Netflix. After spending a certain amount of time studying, you have to calculate whether any more studying will benefit you. For me, I know that making flashcards isn’t as efficient as answering questions and writing my own study guide. I also know that I study better when I read a section from the textbook and answer the corresponding questions rather than writing notes on the said topic. Because of this knowledge, I can budget my time accordingly.
//Do Something Fun On The Weekends
Hell, even take a short trip. I find that a short vacation clears the mind. I’m really noticing it this week especially because we haven’t gone anywhere this break. I’m getting sort of restless just being at home studying. Even though I’m not doing anything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a short two day trip to another city to explore. It’d be a nice way to recoup.
//Write a Daily and Weekly To-Do List
I know that I sort of went into this in the first point, but this is important. Take out a sheet of paper or open a document right now. I mean it. I can wait.
Now that you have that open, write out EVERYTHING you have left to do this semester. Seriously. Make sub-bullet points to organize the chapters you need to read. Make sure to include things like work, scholarship applications, blog posts…stuff that doesn’t necessarily relate to school, but are important, none-the-less.
Now that you have everything written or typed out on paper, calm down. Even though the list may be long, at least you have an idea of everything you need to get done. Now it’s time to organize this list and write down when you are going to complete each task. After putting a time and date for the task, get to it! Start working your butt off because time stops for no one.
//Get Enough Sleep
Sleep consolidates memory, so studying won’t do you much good if you don’t sleep enough. I sleep at least 7 hours a day, if not more because I know I can’t function or enjoy life without it. Lack of sleep can cause many health problems, so do yourself a favor and go to bed because it’s more productive than watching YouTube videos and stressing about all the work you have to do. (Guilty!)
//Make Time For Self-Care
I’ve already been through this before, but it’s worth mentioning again. A huge reason for my slumps is that I’m not taking care of myself enough, whether I’m over or underworking myself. If I start procrastinating, I become lethargic and don’t even feel like reading a book on the train. I would rather just listen to music (which isn’t a problem but stimulating my mind helps me). There is a balance for everything. Getting back into the groove of things also includes an appropriate amount of me-time.
Related – How To Create A College Self-Care Plan (Plus A Look At Mine)
//It’s Almost Over
This is a fact that both relaxes and stresses me out. The semester’s finish line is almost here. This means two things: (1) Your break is coming soon and (2) you have a sh*t ton of work and exams coming your way. Even though these slumps are inconvenient, you have to pull through because the end is in site and you are almost there.
God, this post took forever. Not because it was long, but because I’m goin’ through a slump myself and it was hard to find the motivation to finish it. Well, I did it, and I hope it motivates you to get your work done because it’s almost over folks. Good luck.
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How are you feeling now that it’s the end of the semester? What do you do when you are going through a slump and/or can’t find the motivation to get your work done? I really want to know, so please say something in the comments.
OMG! This is exactly what I needed. Thank you for writing this post as it is very close to the end of the school-year and I am so unmotivated and tired all the time. This made me want to get everything done and continue to stay ahead with my work. 😀
Thanks. It’s nice to know my posts help. I felt soooo unmotivated until I wrote this, so I understand what you’re going through. Good luck! (Sorry for the late reply)