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Every year I find that the mid-semester is when my personal productivity is at an all time low. Motivation plummets as the workload for classes increases and professors are starting to cram in assignments before the end of the semester. It is stressful and can make or break your semester.
Here are some tips to get you through this difficult time!
-Maintain any previous study schedules you have been using this semester. Mid-semester is when these plans start to fall apart; students get lax with their schedules and then suddenly you are two weeks behind on your readings. Fight through the desire to push your rigid schedule aside and power through. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO IGNORE YOUR STUDY ROUTINE- don’t panic. My best advice is to make a revised schedule before you truly fall behind and recruit a friend to hold you to it. Friends are great at holding you accountable if you think you can’t keep on top of it.
-Go to the library. Seriously, the library is a wonderful place that will make you feel productive if you are feeling lethargic. When everyone around you is working hard it kick-starts your motivation.
-Maximize your work during periods of motivation. Sometimes you just get short bursts of motivation where you can sit and do work for hours- make sure you jump on these whims and accomplish whatever you can. Similar to these motivated moments, there are also times where you can’t get yourself to sit down and work no matter how hard you try. By maximizing your productivity when you’re motivated, you can balance out these periods of inactivity.
-Have an emergency plan in case everything goes down the drain. It’s always best to be prepared for the worst case scenario. If your mental health takes a significant and rapid blow, have a plan of what you will do to keep yourself semi-functional. Maybe you have to alter your work schedule to working for five minutes with a thirty minute coloring break. Maybe you have a brand new set of highlighters to open if you cannot force yourself to read that twenty page articles.It is always important to have an emergency plan because little spurts of work is better than not working at all.
-Get some fresh air. Getting away from your desk is a good way to refresh for a few minutes, and getting outside gets your blood flowing and can help energize you. Sometimes I like to just walk around the block and look at the beautiful sights of nature around me (it sounds cheesy, but it gets me out of my head to appreciate the world for a moment).
-Work Hard/Break Hard. When you are working, do not let yourself lose momentum and and stray over to social media. When you take your scheduled breaks, do not let your mind linger on your schoolwork. You worked hard for that break and need to fully enjoy it. If you continue to think about work, you will not feel as refreshed when your return from your break.
-Stay off Netflix. Please, just trust me.
-Join a network of motivators (i.e. the amazing studyblr community). Sometimes the best motivation comes through the support of others. Everyone here in the studyblr community is/has gone through this mid-semester slump, and they are the best people to talk to if looking for advice (or even just a friend to relate to).
I hope at least one of these can help you get through this difficult point of the semester!!