At this point in the semester, professors are letting students know what is expected of them for their finals. The final exams, essays and research papers can easily pile up and become overwhelming. However, there is a way to avoid the stress.
It is easy to underestimate the time needed for all of the studying, writing and researching needed for finals. So, it is important for students to manage their time during the last weeks of the semester to avoid cramming and mental breakdowns.
There are multiple methods to keep from procrastinating, and there are ways for students to maximize their time. The first step is to compare the due dates of assignments and times of the final exams. With the dates in mind, students can list their tasks in priority order of most to least urgent. Students should also consider which finals will be more difficult for them or which ones will take more time. Once students have all of the information about their finals, they can begin to plan.
According to simplilearn.com, one of the most important steps for good time management is breaking down the work into small tasks. This would include simply starting to think about the final assignments. Students should read the directions for their assignments or prompts for their essays and think about how they will approach their work. Starting brainstorming early without a stressed and overwhelmed mindset can be extremely helpful. This will help visualize the whole task and make it more manageable.
It is important to start this process early. So, as soon as students receive the information for finals, they should start taking these steps to keep everything from piling up.
Students should begin to recognize when they are procrastinating and take steps to stop themselves from continuing. However, taking breaks is important so students should also recognize when they need a short break. It is important to balance the amount of work done in a day with the amount of time taken to rest every single day.
Students should not overwork themselves if they are feeling unwell mentally or physically, but they also shouldn’t put studying and work off until the last minute. Procrastination usually doesn’t involve any real relaxation. So, the time spent away from working and studying should be truly relaxing.
It is vital for students to take all the necessary steps to spread their workload out over the last few weeks of the semester. This will save them the headache of working for 24 hours straight trying to finish an essay or cram for their exam.
The work done over a spread-out amount of time will be more bountiful and stronger than the work done last minute. So, students need to think now and make a plan for finals season. Planning and staying on task are easier said than done, but students just need to stay mindful of their time and actions in order to do well without excessive stress.
Emily Pieczyrak is a sophomore double-majoring in English and French.
Featured image courtesy of Pexels.com.
