5 Study Hacks
By: Natalia Wurst ‘21
It’s that point in the semester where everything feels extra not okay. Maybe you’d normally be able to handle simultaneously juggling two research papers, ten extracurriculars, and a couple of annoying suitemates, but you’ve been juggling that since mid-September. It’s old news now. I feel pretentious calling the following list “hacks,” like you’ve never thought of them before, but humor me for a little and pretend you haven’t. These are implementable techniques to make such times less hellish.
1. Make a plan
The hardest part of getting your stuff together is taking the first step of actually thinking about all the stuff. But alas, in order to continue along this flawless five-part plan, it must be done. Open your agenda, or calendar, or whip out your five different syllabi, and create a comprehensive list of your deadlines. There will likely be tears, and that’s okay. But at least everything is down on paper instead of swimming in your head and begging to be maximally blown out of proportion. After some sulking, prioritize your list and assign approximate times of completion for each item. If this seems like total deja vu, it’s because hack #1 is a baby version of my article, “How to Time Manage Like a Pro,” which I’d recommend you check out as well (shameless plug).
2. Find peace
First of all, get out of your room. I know it’s comfortable and convenient when you just don’t feel like carrying three sets of textbooks across campus to the nearest library, but hear me out on this one. Your room should not be a confined space associated with your stress. It should be a confined space associated with sunshine and relaxation. So step away from the bedroom as much as you can while working on big projects, and opt instead for Leavey, where everyone around you is either crying or internally screaming–it will make you want to move faster, trust me.
3. Put your phone on airplane mode (I’m not kidding)
Research has done all the work for me and proven that we as a species inherently suck at multitasking. Don’t pretend like you’re above science–shut off the mobile device off for a lil. I think we can all attest to the fact that no matter how much self control we think we have, when our phones light up with new notifications, we will peel our eyes away from whatever’s in front of us. Walk in the light of the truth and don’t trust yourself around technology…at least when you’re trying to finish a term paper.
4. Have a snack system in place
Personally, there is nothing more motivating than food. Before hitting up your designated location, pack adequate nutrition and then use them to manipulate yourself into achievement. The breakdown looks like this: say you plan to sit your butt down in Leavey and work for four hours–that means you pack around 4 different snacks and eat them at each hour. Keep in mind that there’s also a whole science on the right time to select each snack (i.e. the best snack should be saved for second-to-last for that final surge of strength you need). It sounds artificial and freaking weird, but it works.
5. Take breaks
This can go hand-and-hand with hack #4 if you want to coordinate your snacking with your resting. Or maybe you’re more the sort of person that can devour a granola bar while quoting Shakespeare (even though this is contradictory to hack #3). Either way, make sure you incorporate scheduled 10-15 minute breaks between each big chunk of assignments, ideally every hour. Fun tip: you can use those minutes to swivel in circles at Leavey while staring at the ceiling and contemplating your decision to pursue higher education. It’s up to you how you spend them, though.
If you’re working on a laptop, especially, follow the 20-20-20 rule: every twenty minutes, stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps fight off fatigue as much as possible.
And now I will end this segment with the way I end all of my emails to those of remotely higher status than I: I wish you all the very best!
Happy studying!!
-Nat
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