It's Crunch Time

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It's that time of year again. The snow is falling but barely sticking, the sidewalks are salted yet too slippery, and everyone’s either anxious or too calm. Yes, it’s the week before finals week, and everyone’s in a hurry to finish assignments and turn in extra credit work professors have blessed us with. The amount of stress we’ve built over the semester had time to dissipate over Thanksgiving, only to be struck back into us like a bolt of lighting a few days before we leave for the winter. I myself spent the past week having fun and forcing myself to relax to avoid becoming too anxious, but now it’s crunch time and all bets are off! To keep finals from biting me in the butt, here are the actions I plan to take to stay on top of my game.

1. Plan Ahead
Organization is a necessity to get through finals week alive. Events will pop up to fuel you with sugar and love from puppies, but if you don’t make the time to complete your work, you will regret it. To keep from being too overwhelmed try out these tips:

• Put those finals on your calendar 
• If you haven’t done so already, you are a crazy person 
• Write out your homework 
• When it’s due and when you should do it 
• Do the extra credit 
• If your professor has blessed you with the option take advantage of it

2. Eliminate Distractions
Put that phone away! Apps are designed to keep your attention, and if your eyes are glued to Snapchat, so is your brain. You want to be focused on the assignments you must complete, and the best way to do this is to get rid of anything and everything that distracts you from your work. Phones are the big one, since our social media, games, music, videos, and anything else that the internet brings are all at your fingertips. Some people feel that their phone relaxes them, but there’s a difference between relaxation and procrastination. Listening to your favorite tunes may help you get through that paper faster than silence, but Instagram won’t. I struggle to put my phone down when I’m stressed, because I’m desperate to distract myself from my problems, but this doesn’t make the story I need to edit disappear, it simply wastes time. YouTube and Netflix are also major no-nos. Biology and The Office do not mix. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time, so be nice to it.

3. Balance Your Time
Long study periods followed by no breaks is quick way to drain you of all your energy and motivation. Nothing should be studied for more than an hour at a time, and the longer you study the longer your breaks should be. I recommend working for 30 to 40 minutes at a time with 15 – 20-minute breaks in between. I typically work for 40 – 60 minutes at a time since I prefer to dive right into the deep end. (20-minute breaks work just fine.) If you can’t resist your phone during these breaks, I recommend you set a timer to keep you on track. You can even use these breaks as a pseudo-motivator by sharing with your friends your progress on your assignments and gloat over your new study habits (but that may be considered overkill).

4. Watch your health
Stress can kill you, but so can germs. Pneumonia, the flu, and the common cold are spreading around campus and the heightened stress of the time makes you more susceptible to illness. Help your body take care of you by prioritizing both your work and your health. It’s a nasty habit to only eat junk food every day, but when you’re angry, tired, and overworked caffeine, sugar, and fried foods seem like your best bet to happiness. I know the struggle; my sweet tooth is gigantic. I prefer to be alone when I write, and I prefer to write in my room, so Pub food simple makes sense. One way to curve this bad habit is to drink a ton of water. Most likely, you aren’t drinking enough, so switching your cup of Pepsi for a water bottle will do you some good. Substitute fries for carrots, or onion rings for applesauce. I mean, how can you say no to applesauce?

Go to Sleep

8 am classes are stressful enough, but now you’ll have to wake up on time for finals. This may prove challenging, especially if you’ve been lucky to have none so far. We’re all stressed, which means we’re all tired. Do yourself a favor and give your body the break it needs. This task should prove easier to accomplish when all-day (24-hour) quiet hours are put into place today (Dec 7). Set your alarm to give you enough time in the morning to wake up before your finals. A well-rested student is a well-prepared one.

For help winding down try these tips:

• Turn off the main lights by 11pm
• The earlier you turn the lights off, the easier it is to wind down.
• you can leave a few on, but the later it gets the darker it should be
• Turn your phone off
• If you need it as an alarm, plug it in far away from your reach
• Calm yourself
• Relax with a good book, calm your breath with meditate , write in a journal 

I hope some of my advice helps you thrive during the week and ease into the holidays. One may be easier to follow than the rest, but they're all great habits that can benefit you in Spring 2019. Leave a comment down below if you have any tips or tricks to get through exams and other stressful times. Have a wonderful break everybody!

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Helpful Hints:

If your phone is an essential aspect of your identity and you struggle to let it go for the week, try out the Forest app. This app allows you to grow beautiful trees (and bushes) in exchange for staying off your phone. If you check an email, call a friend, or do anything except let the app grow that tree, it will die - you will be a tree-killer. It's a great motivator, so check it out. 

Do you struggle with sleep? Do you struggle to wake up in the morning? The National Sleep Foundation has the answers to your many questions, in their quest to help you. 

Not sure how your phones keep you awake at night? This article by Trevor Haynes is for you.