Advice for Awkward Moments with Awkward Lisa

Dear Lisa,

It’s Finals week. I feel like there is not near enough time to finish everything that I need to do. I’m so tired and burned out and my brain just won’t function the way that it’s supposed to! How am I supposed to survive finals week!?

-Ben

Dear Ben,

Here are few tips on how to make it to the other side of finals in one piece without failing all of your classes.

Sleep. You never quite realize how important sleep is until you’ve gone without for too long. A good night’s sleep can help you on your test more than an all-nighter of last-minute studying. We all have different sleep habits, but if you study all night make sure to take a nap. Sure, you’ll have less time to work on projects/ study, but that time spent will have better retention and be better quality. Sometimes less is more, and the key is managing your time to be effective with both your studying as well as with your sleeping schedule.

Ask for Help. You have people that want you to succeed and can help you if you need it. Make use of the tutors in the library and of your professor’s office hours. Your friends and classmates can also be good resource as well. There is no shame in asking for help and believe it or not, your professors and classmates want you to succeed as well.

Breathe. Don’t forget! Deep Breathings can help you de-stress and without breathing you will die.

Take a break. Exercise. Eat a healthy snack. Step away from your work for a bit. After two hours of focusing, your brain will start pooping-out on you. Just remember not to take too long of breaks. Sometimes it helps to set a timer. Work for 45 min, take a break for 15 min, repeat. Go with what works for your brain and study habits.

Stop wasting time. Especially when we need our computers to manage, study, complete, and turn in our assignments, it’s easy to take little detours to Facebook, Tumblr, or Imgur. One thing you could do to stay on task is using apps that temporarily disable sites of your choosing that are the most likely to try to distract you and keep your from your studies.

Prioritize and Plan. Not all classes and test are created equal. Look at your grades and what percentage the final is as part of a grade. You can use a calculator online to figure out what you need to get on your test to receive your desired grade. If getting a 104% on the test is the only way to change your B to an A, it may not be worth stressing yourself out and busting your butt on this one test. Maybe your efforts and time will be better utilized elsewhere. Then make a plan for how, where and when you will study for what.

The end is near, the light is at the other end of the tunnel, and we’re all in this together! Right now this might feel like the end of the world, but there is more after this, and you’re almost there! There will be more finals to come, but for now stay sane, stay focused, and don’t do drugs!

Best of Luck!

–Lisa