With the end of the spring semester in sight, this typically means one thing—finals week is approaching. Are you ready to be tested on everything you’ve learned in your courses? When preparing a study plan for finals week, it’s key to manage your time wisely in order to promote success on your exams. Time management tips for finals week include creating a study schedule, identifying which tasks to prioritize in your prep plan, and avoiding activities that may promote procrastination.
Hoping to tackle finals week with the confidence you need to succeed? Keep reading to learn four time management tips for finals week.
Finals week time management tip #1: create a schedule
College is a busy time in a student’s life—your days are marked by classes and extracurricular activities, as well as quality time with friends. Your busy schedule can feel even more tightly packed when you try to fit in studying during finals week. Make the most of your time by scheduling everything you need to do in order to succeed this week. Items to incorporate into your finals week schedule may include:
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The times and locations of each exam
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Designated study times for each subject, as well as how much focus you feel is necessary for each class
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Any personal commitments, such as scheduled work hours
Creating a schedule will help you see the tasks you need to complete, give you structured study time, and provide a good overview of your planned personal activities.
[RELATED: How to Make a Smart Study Routine]
Finals week time management tip #2: incorporate down time into your week
With everything that’s on your calendar, it can be a struggle to find time to take a breath and rest. When creating your schedule, make sure to add in some time for relaxation to be spent any way you feel will best benefit you. During the busyness of finals week, you need to remember to give your brain and body time for extra rest so they can perform their best, and you can avoid burnout.
Too often, students find themselves over-worked and under-rested. It’s important to take time to recharge in-between studying and activities‚ especially during finals week. Remember to give yourself time during each day just for this purpose. It could be as short as taking 20 minutes between classes to grab a coffee, or setting aside an hour in the morning for a brisk walk.
[RELATED: The Finals Week Survival Guide]
Finals week time management tip #3: prioritize your time wisely
Creating a list of activities you need to prioritize can be a helpful tool in making a productive finals week schedule. At the end of the day, having a schedule in place for this week won’t be helpful if you accidentally place an item too far down your list and miss a deadline.
In order to avoid disaster, try to maintain a running list of all your projects, activities, and studying tasks that you can edit on paper, on your phone, or on your laptop. It can be helpful to change the order and add new items as often as you need to so that you can keep it up to date. Be sure to check tasks off as you complete them, as this will reassure you that you’re making progress during this often stressful week.
[RELATED: 5 Ways to Stay Motivated During Finals Week]
Finals week time management tip #4: avoid procrastination
Even if you’ve created a tight schedule for finals week, it can be hard to avoid time-wasting activities such as surfing the internet or scrolling through your phone. Though it’s good to take breaks from your studying and other finals week activities, it’s easy to allow social media and other platforms to consume hours of your time. If you do feel pulled to a time-wasting activity, consider turning notifications off or putting your phone on do not disturb mode so you’re not tempted to become distracted.
Finals week can feel intimidating. In order to promote success, it’s key to create a schedule for the week, organize your time, and find ways to prevent procrastination. By utilizing these techniques, you can set yourself up for success this finals week.
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