Now that the festive holiday period is over, the cold hard reality of life hits again – everyone is back to university, you have your last sessions before the assignment hand-in date and you’re stressed out because you have to also fit in time to study for exams.
I’m going to share with you some tips that I’ve learned during my time at university and that have helped me stay calm, focused and stress-free during assignment times:
- Declutter your bedroom
This might sound to you like one of the classic methods of procrastination and I can see how while writing an assignment, you deciding you need to tidy up would mean that you are procrastinating. But what I am talking about here is to do this right after you’ve arrived back from your holidays so that you can start your study period in a clean and tidy environment. A messy room can cause an increase in stress levels and can make you unfocused.
- Make a schedule
I’ve said it times and times before that lists and schedules are one’s best friends. If you divide your workload by importance and deadline, you won’t find yourself working on something that comes easy to you, but the deadline is ages away and ignoring something more difficult and fast approaching. Being organised in the way that you study makes a world of difference – you need to make sure that you allow enough time to study every subject and make more time for those that you need to study more for.
Also, please make sure that you get enough sleep and that you eat properly and at set times through your assignment period. It’s so easy to spend the nights studying and not eating foods that help your brain but this will only do you wrong – it will worsen your mood, reduce your attention span and make you even more stressed.
- Set a break time reminder
As I’ve said above, it’s important to have a schedule. This also needs to include break times – you can read a few pages of a book that you like, do some breathing exercises, meditate, exercise or go for a short walk. This will relax both your body and mind and it will reduce stress levels and improve your mood and attention span so that you’re all set to go back to work.
- Beware of cold feet
As the weather at the moment is quite grim and cold, you need to make sure that your workspace is at the right temperature – being too cold or too hot can distract you from your work. You can also keep warm by drinking plenty of hot drinks which will also keep you hydrated. Try to avoid coffee even though you feel tired and drowsy – go for green or black tea instead as the theanine in it will keep you alert for longer and it will also provide plenty of antioxidants to help keep the flu away.
- Get into a routine
As boring as that sounds, getting into a routine will help you be in control and feel less stressed. If you combine all of the steps above, you will notice how your studying will improve without you having to have sleepless nights and gallons of coffee. This will also set you up for the second semester and hopefully these tips will soon become your habits for a successful time at university.
Worcester Student Life 