5 Ways To Organize Your Life in Time For Finals

Ellice Ellis ‘20

Anyway you frame it, preparing for finals can be stressful. Whether they come in the form of your normal tests, essays or other types of projects; these assessments are of the utmost importance because they reflect the hard work you’ve put in all semester and play a major role in your final grade. 

Personally, I’ve found myself stacked with studying, finishing projects, writing essays and completing other important personal tasks during this time. In addition to the stress there seems to be an attitude amongst many professors that their class assignments are the most important.  Despite these tensions, here are five pieces of advice you can take into the next few weeks in order to reduce your stress and get your stuff together during this stressful time.

1. Organize Your Backpack/Purse.

This is probably the simplest and easiest tip on the list. From personal experience, organizing my backpack and making sure the items in my bag align with that day’s academic priorities are key. Making sure my bag has all the staples I need for class, clubs and studying optimizes my time and productivity. I cut down on having to go back to my dorm to pick up additional items and I rarely have a cluttered work/study-space. Additionally, I always carry around my planner so I can keep up to date with my daily goals and stay on track.

2. Use Your Cellphone

No, not for Twitter or to text your friends but to help make studying easier. One way I use my phone during finals is to change my home/lock screen to quick study guides. Whether it be a set of formulas for a math class or a verb conjugation for french class; whenever I look at my phone I’m reminded of a concept and forced to study.

I’ve also used my iPhone’s calendar app to plug in all my upcoming assignments and exams and to set reminders one week in advance. In addition to the calendar app, the free app Wunderlist is a great way to organize your life. You can set up to-do lists for different classes (as I do) or for academics in general and personal tasks. The app is available on multiple platforms and can even send you alerts on your desktop and mobile devices. It is a great way to set daily reminders to study and keep up with smaller tasks you have to do.

Here is a video on how to use Wunderlist: 

3. Prioritize 

This task may seem very basic but in a high-stress time like finals recognizing what is the most important helps you organize and to save time when studying. If you feel 100% confident for your Biology final, why stress it? Spend time prioritizing what you need to study for the most and the projects that require a lot of labor. 

Emphasize these tasks in bold in your planner or make multiple reminders on your phone.  Color code things across all your organization tools. I personally use red for things that are urgent and blue for tasks that are less important, are easier or are due at a later time.

4. Create A Personal Cheat Sheet

Just to clarify I am 100% against cheating and in no way am I promoting cheating for finals but creating a quick reference guide that you can carry around with you is very efficient. After reviewing your notes from class or a study session create a cheat sheet with the most crucial information, information that you’re not 100% confident in or with common problem sets or formulas. You can use your cheat sheet as you study to drill in that information and eventually you won’t even need to look at it. Just make sure that you throw it out before your test!

5. Stay Healthy and Take Care of Yourself

In short; stay hydrated, eat smart, make sleep a priority, remember to have fun and don’t give into the temptation of drugs and other substances that are notorious for optimizing studying. I’ve talked about self-care in a previous post and I believe during a high-stress time like this one it is important to take breaks and recognize when you’re not at your best. Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I deeply care about my grades and academic work, but I never neglect my mental or physical health. Always keep a snack and water with you while studying. Take short breaks by listening to music or watching a 30-minutes (or longer) program. 

And last but not least communicate with those around you when you need help or when you are not feeling your best. You and those around you should want the best for your grades and your health.

So that’s it! Finals are just around the corner and these tips will help you maximize your time in the next few weeks. I truly wish each and everyone of you the best and I am rooting for you this finals season.

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