At last! December is here, the snow is falling and wreaths are starting to adorn local establishments. I am not saying this to set the theme of the column or for nostalgia, but simply because many of you may not be aware of these occurrences. It’s never Christmastime in Glenn G. Bartle Library.
In the weeks leading up to finals, people don’t have time for the little things. Everyone is afraid to remove their focus from school in fear that they will fall behind in work. However, this may not be the wisest of choices. Everyone needs a break from their breakdowns.
It’s been shown over and over again that people do better when they break up their studying with anything that allows their brains to breathe. These breaks are thought to be most effective if they are between 10 and 15 minutes long; anything longer and they are more of a distraction.
Unfortunately this rules out the “full night of sleep study break” and the “going Downtown study break.” Fortunately, there are a few other options available in a more compact form.
Need good ideas? Here’s a list to sprinkle some sanity into your life:
I call it “The 12 Days of (including the week before) Finals.”
12) Make yourself coffee. Make your housemates coffee. Make your “I engage in small talk for an impressively and uncomfortably long period of time” neighbor coffee.
11) Go on WebMD and search your current ailments. Email your professor that you will unfortunately no longer be taking your final examinations because you are expecting to lose complete feeling in your arms in the upcoming week.
10) Drink a liter of fluid and don’t allow yourself the luxury of a bathroom visit until the end of your chapter. Also known as “motivation.”
9) Restock the soap containers in the bathroom. Clean the dust out of the corners of your room. The more mundane the task, the more appealing studying becomes.
8) Write a list of things you need to do, but at least half of the list should consist of activities you have already done. Also known as “Satisfaction for Dummies.”
7) Turn off the lights and jump in bed. Don’t go to sleep, just “rest your eyes.” This always works out well.
6) Light something. Flames are inherently calming and the scent of a candle or incense has an added benefit. A more stimulating version of this is to create your own fire.
5) Shotgun a soda. It instantly feels like a party.
4) Make some popcorn, walk into your friend’s room and sit in the corner in silence and watch her like she’s a movie. Make sure to insert laughter at odd intervals.
3) Call and catch up with that aunt of yours that you have been meaning to call for the past three years.
2) Start frantically looking online for this summer’s bikini.
1) And last but not least, text your least studious friend and complain about how little you have accomplished. Wait until they respond with, “What test?” and then resume studying. Also known as the “instant pick-me-up.”