#finals tips

Hi there lovelies! As we dive headfirst into the whirlwind that is finals season, remember, you are more than just a student, and taking care of your sanity should be a top priority. So, here are some tips to help you stay grounded, focused, and most importantly, sane during this challenging time:

Plan Your Battle: Start by creating a realistic study schedule that allocates time for breaks, meals, and restorative activities. Breaking down your tasks into manageable chunks will not only boost your productivity but also alleviate feelings of overwhelm.

 Mindfulness Moments: Incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine. Take a few minutes each day to practice deep breathing exercises, meditation, or even just observing your surroundings. These little pauses will help you center yourself, reduce stress, and enhance your focus.

Fuel Your Brain: Nourish your body with nutritious foods that support cognitive function. Brain-boosting snacks like nuts, berries, and dark chocolate can provide you with the energy you need while keeping your mind sharp. Remember to stay hydrated and avoid excessive caffeine, which can lead to jitters and anxiety.

Sweat it Out: Make time for physical exercise during finals. Engaging in regular workouts or even short breaks for stretching can relieve tension and boost your mood. Whether it's a quick jog, a yoga session, or a dance break, find what gets your body moving and your endorphins flowing!

Breaks are Sacred: Remember, breaks are not a luxury but a necessity. Stepping away from your study materials periodically can actually improve your productivity and prevent burnout. Engage in activities you enjoy, such as reading for pleasure, doodling, or chatting with friends. You deserve it!

Sleep Well, Achieve Well: Aim for quality sleep to maximize your cognitive abilities. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, create a calming bedtime routine, and ensure your study space is separate from your sleeping area. A well-rested mind is more alert, focused, and ready to conquer those finals!

Ask for Support: Don't be afraid to lean on your support system. Reach out to friends, family, or fellow studyblrs who understand the struggles you're going through. Share your concerns, vent your frustrations, and celebrate your victories together. Remember, you are never alone in this journey!

Celebrate Your Progress: Take time to acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Reward yourself with mini-treats, a relaxing bath, or a favorite TV show episode. Recognizing your efforts will boost your motivation and remind you of your incredible resilience.

finals suck but let’s make them suck less | pt 1

study jams!!!!

with words

café studying | playlist with chill/acoustic jams.  these songs have words so if you’re not into that while studying, skip this playlist!

chill | another playlist with words but very acoustic-y and, well, ~chill~

a quiet christmas | for first semester finals!!!!  a chill/nontraditional christmas mix

without words

- study playlists i’ve made -

study mix 001 | lofi

study mix 002 | instrumental covers

study mix 003 | classical piano

- youtube lofi mixes -

at a café

rainy days in tokyo

mornings in november

my heart flutters when I see you

midnight aura

snowy christmas days

we’ve never met but can we have a coffee or something

- my favorite lofi channels on youtube -

130mood

the jazz hop café 

in love with a ghost

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hope you guys were able to use a few of these mixes!  i’m going to be doing a series called “finals suck but let’s make them suck less” on my tumblr and you’ll be able to find all those posts under the #studytipsbyliv (studytipsbyliv) tag!  thanks for following along :)

My apologies anon!

everyone was in agreement that you need to get a reasonable amount of sleep, food, and water. 

Shannon recommends making yourself happy and decompressing as well so you don’t get too overwhelmed, depressed, and/or stressed. 

Reed recommends: Studying in an environment that mimics the classroom and where you will be taking the exam, set a schedule that allows you to go over every main point that you learned, each time you return to studying, spend 5-10 minutes summarizing what you have already reviewed the previous time you studied. It is all about layering information and not just reading the coursework a second time. 

from a high school senior

happy finals week everyone!!!!! my first final of the 2019-20 school year is tomorrow so i thought i would compile this masterpost for you instead of actual study!!! (i’m just kidding i wrote this in advance)

1. get a good night’s sleep. this is just important in general. you’ll feel so much better if you get at least 7 good hours of sleep instead of 5

2. don’t stay up cramming!!!! you may think that, if you stay up later, “studying more,” you’re bound to do better on your finals but oh honey are you wrong. you’ll be so much more exhausted if you do this (going back to number 1). 

3. i know for me, i think, that if i study the night before, instead of studying a couple days in advance, i’ll do better. but don’t do this. again, don’t cram, especially if you have 2 finals in one day. it’s better to have prepared a couple days before and have to slightly review it than learn the entire study guide in one night. 

4. actual do the review guides your teachers give you. ESPECIALLY FOR MATH!!!!!!! i literally ALWAYS do my math reviews because the only way you’ll get better at a topic is if you keep practicing it. if you don’t have an answer key available to you (which is crap), don’t be afraid to ask your teacher. they’ll see that you want to make sure that you are on track for the final.

5. if you can’t study for it, don’t worry about it. for foreign language exams, especially the writing and speaking ones, you can’t really study or prepare for it. in that case, don’t necessarily worry about it. don’t dwell on it when there is literally nothing you can do for it. i know that’s harder said than done but trust me. 

6. eat a good breakfast the morning of! if you’re not a breakfast eater, i’m sorry. breakfast is literally the most important meal, at least for me, and i cannot function without breakfast. have a good, hearty, nutritious breakfast so you can actually focus during your final(s). 

7. throw away your phone. ok not really. just throw it “away,” out of the room. or at least put it in a spot that you won’t go to often, whether that be the back of your closet, the top of your bookshelf, or under your bed. don’t use it. i can get sooooo distracted because of my phone and that’s not the move during finals week. 

8. dress comfy. i like to dress up because it makes me feel good and if this portrays to you, then listen up. finals week is not a fashion show. it sucks. so wear what makes you comfy. if that’s the same two pairs of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that you slept in the night before, perfect. it literally doesn’t matter. wear something comfortable, but not tooooo comfortable to where you fall asleep while taking the final. find a balance. you all know what i’m talking about. 

9. chew gum! i find that when i’m chewing gum, either while studying or in the test-taking room, i feel more engaged?? i guess i feel like it stimulates my brain more???? there’s probably some science behind it. go look it up if you feel so inclined but if you don’t want to, just take my advice

ok!!! i hope that helped!!! best of luck everyone, you’ll do great!!!

So the other day my cousin who is sitting her first ever exams asked me for advice. I thought it turned out quite good so I’m putting it up here!

1.       Make sure you have a list of everything you need to cover.

You can either use the course outline, the syllabus or you can make your own list (from class/lecture notes or the textbook).

2.       Leave enough time to study everything on that list at least once.

I’ve never really been one to make a super detailed and strict exam timetable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t! I tend to decide what topic I’ll be covering on what day and choose the order on the day.

3.       The absolute best study you can do is past exam papers.

Before my final year school exams, I did something like 13 past exam papers before each of my main subject exams (e.g. maths, science). I honestly attribute my success to that. If you don’t have past exam papers, try to actively recall the information in your notes by making your own questions or try to remember as much as you can about a subject from the title of your notes. Re-reading and highlighting notes is really not an efficient use of your time, this should only be done after trying to actively remember as much as you can. I can’t stress this point enough, active recall is 100% the best study method – it even has heaps of supporting scientific evidence.

4.       Do NOT stay up late studying!

It is so important to get a good night of sleep before an exam so your brain works properly. Honestly, the sleep you lose will decrease your performance more than the extra few hours of study would increase it. So just don’t do it. Sleep is important for performance in exams.

5.       Advice for exam day – panic at the beginning.

Not going to lie, other than number 3, this was the best bit of advice I was given. Always work fast at the beginning of an exam! It is much better to finish early and fix the panicked mistakes you made at the beginning then it is to run out of time and make “panic mistakes” when you don’t have the time to fix them.

6.       Try to reduce your stress – not only for your mental health’s sake but to perform better.

A little bit of stress is good – forces you to study and gets the brain working. But when it is too much, stress-induced memory loss becomes such a thing!! Lots of people end up in a fantastic cycle – do poorly --> study more --> stress more --> perform poorly because of stress --> study more --> stress more --> perform even worse because of stress and so on. So for the love of studyblr, have a calm-mind during your exam!

If you couldn’t tell by the things I’ve been reposting lately, finals week has arrived. My first exam is at 8am tomorrow (wish me luck), and I wanted to share some tips and things I’ve learned over the years. Most of this applies to both college and high school, but everyone’s method is gonna be a little different. You do you boo. 

Self Care

This is super important. It may seem like you don’t have time to worry about these things but your body is just as important as your mind. Nurture it. 

Make your bed. Every morning. If you have to wake up early to give yourself more time, do it. Someone somewhere once said “the state of your bed is the state of your head.”

Brush your teeth. Floss if you can. I know it’s a pain in the ass but it’s literally 2 minutes of your time. 

Put on chap-stick. Bring it everywhere, to all your exams, leave some in your car, in your pocket. It’s never fun to have chapped lips. 

Wash your face. Morning and night, depending on skin type, etc. This is super important to wash away all of the dirt, makeup, and toxins your skin is exposed to. It also helps to wake you up and get you started. And if you’re anything like me, stress breakouts are always a possibility.

Moisturize. Your face, your arms, your legs, etc. A good facial moisturizer and body lotion can do wonders for your skin and your mood. Do a face mask too, if you really wanna pamper yourself. 

Keep your space clean. Where you sleep, where you get ready for bed, and especially where you study. This goes back to making your bed, your surroundings play an important role in your mood and state of mind. 

Eat Healthy. Don’t skip meals, your brain needs good nutrition to function. Take it easy on the sugar, you might be on a high for a little while but the crash is real. 

Drink. Water. Lots of it. I’m terrible when it comes to this, but I find that keeping a refillable water bottle on me, one that’s easy to take quick sips from, helps a lot. You need to be hydrated in order to function properly. Drink juice to help you stay awake if you’re not a fan of coffee or tea (Idk why but this really helps). 

Stay active. Keep moving, get that blood circulating. Whether it’s running, yoga, or a walk in the park, the movement is sure to clear your mind and get those endorphins kicking. 

SLEEP. 7-8 hours, ideally. No all-nighters. Don’t even think about it. I limit myself to one all-nighter a semester, and never on the night before an exam. Your brain works to learn and memorize at night, so get your rest and study in the process.Take catnaps between study sessions if you get tired during the day, but don’t sacrifice that sacred sleep for a few extra hours of studying that will haunt you the entire next day. 

Studying

Now that you’re all zenned out, you can fill your brain with all that dope knowledge. 

Go to review days. Your teacher should explain what’s on the exam and what she expects of you, and if you skip you could miss out on important details like room and time. It may seem like skipping gives you more time to study, but you’ll be at a disadvantage in the end.

Summarize. Outline/summarize/prep class content expected on the exam. Being able to summarize content and place it in an order that makes sense shows understanding, and it’ll help you figure out what you need to work on most.  

Find study stations. Coffee shops, the campus library, bookstores, diners, you name it. Study anywhere but home, at least not alone. I sometimes crash at my friend’s place and we’ll have silent study sessions, keeping each other in check. 

Use a time management tool. I use the app Forest, or the chrome extension. When you use the timer, you plant a tree or a bush and it grows until the timer is up. I like it because when I use it on my phone, I set the timer for 25 minutes and I can’t exit the app or the tree dies. On chrome, you can blacklist certain websites that distract you, and if you visit that website during your study session, the tree dies. Don’t kill trees people. 

Prioritize. What exam do you have first? How prepared are you for it? Which exam will be the hardest/are you least prepared for? Use your sessions wisely and focus on the material you don’t know as well. 

Method. What works for you? Are you an auditory learner? Record your notes and listen to them in the car or while you work out. Kinesthetic? Rewrite your notes, make models, etc. Visual? Find good pictoral representations of your content and try drawing diagrams. It’s super important to find a study method that works for you, and everyone’s is gonna be a little different.

Come prepared. Buy pencils, scantrons, and erasers beforehand and come to your exam with everything you need (i.e. calculator). Hand lotion, chap-stick, and deep breathing are great ways to calm yourself before an exam. If you’re religious - pray, spiritual - meditate/center yourself, non of the above - have faith in yourself and your abilities. 

Dress comfy. If sweats are the way you roll, then go with it. If you feel more productive dressing a little nicer, have at it. 

Trust yourself. Stop second guessing yourself. Trust in your work. Honestly, we doubt ourselves way more than we should. Don’t underestimate yourself, love. You show that exam who’s boss. 

Set up a little finals week workout:

Since finals week and the week leading up to it tend to be a little loose on schedule or at the very least off of your usual schedule I really reccommend taking a moment to plan ahead.

Figure out when you’re finals, final classes, and project due dates all are, and then once you’ve made allowances for how much time you need for studying and project work set up a work out routine to help get the anxious energy out:

1. Is morning or night better for you schedule? What makes you feel best?

2. What work outs leave you feeling refreshed? I like treadmills, yoga, and light weightlifting/weight machines.

3. Pair your workout with a fun healthy post workout snack! Smoothie, salad, nut mix, fruit! Makes it a whole treat!