Tips for Staying Focused Through Finals

Your final exams are the last box to check before you head home for a well-deserved winter break. But after a long semester, it can be difficult to stay focused. Use these tips to set yourself up for success and finish your semester strong.

1. Set a Schedule: Working hard throughout the semester will help you prepare for your final exams, but setting up a study schedule for your last few weeks can ensure you give yourself enough time to review your notes and relearn more difficult concepts. Check your syllabi to see exactly what is due and when. Some professors are better about communicating than others, so checking yourself will make sure you don’t miss any presentations, exams or papers.

   Once you know what needs to be done, set aside time to study for an hour or two every day leading up to your exams. Prioritize the work that will be most challenging and write notecards and review sheets by hand to help your brain absorb the concepts and facts. Giving yourself a few days to complete the work before it is actually due can help you stay on track, and allows you time to thoroughly check your work or reach out to your professor with any questions.

2. Take Care: When you’re focused on school work, make sure you still have healthy eating and sleeping habits. Fast food leads to fatigue, which won’t help you stay focused for an evening of studying. Instead fill up with healthy foods like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and whole grains which will keep you full and focused. Be sure to drink plenty of water and don’t overdo it on coffee. That short-term burst of caffeine can help you feel alert, but it can also cause you to crash if you aren’t properly hydrated. Make time for exercise, which increases energy, enhances your mood and improves your memory and productivity. Finally, set a bed time. Sleep makes you more creative, builds new connections for information in your brain and encodes memories from the day, helping you remember all things you learned.

3. Create a Study Space: Create an environment that will help you learn. Silence your phone and turn on classical music to help get in the right mindset. A study at the University of Southern California found that students who listen to classical music while studying had less anxiety and were more receptive to information than students who studied in silence.

   Not everyone has the same workstyle or assignments, so create a study space that works for you. Some students need to be at a desk with all their materials, while others prefer to recline on a chair or sofa. Furniture rental can be a great option to ensure your apartment has the proper furniture for your study space. You can rent packages with pre-selected pieces or choose one or two pieces of your own choice. Either way, furniture rental gives you the flexibility to choose the ideal furniture without the stress, hassle and cost of buying your own furniture.

It may seem like your to-do list at the end of the semester is long, but these simple tips can help you get ahead of a hectic exam week. Get organized, take care of yourself and get to work and you will set yourself up for success.

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