Happy finals week, Knights!
Feeling overwhelmed and tired? This week, the FTC publications committee tackles how to survive your finals and avoid burnout now and into the next semester through self-care.
Also check out our infographic on this topic on Instagram!
Plan Out Your Schedule
Planning your week and daily activities is critical to finding a healthy balance between school, work, and extracurriculars. To ensure you meet deadlines, consider planning out your schedule. While it might seem like organizing a schedule is time-consuming, it will help you crush your goals and provide a quick source of guidance.
Planning out your projects based on deadlines and breaking them into manageable chunks is a valuable technical communication skill called Project Management (PM). One method for PM is the Kanban method, which lets users map out projects into smaller tasks to improve turnout. SCRUM, a subset of AGILE, is a relatively similar concept.
If you are new to Kanban, here are some useful free planning apps:
- Habitca: Create a virtual avatar to complete challenges and earn items based on your productivity and cools.
- Trello: Organize tasks into custom categories in an aesthetically pleasing way.
If time management and distraction hinder following your schedule, try the Pomodoro technique in which you set a timer for twenty-five minutes to actively work on an assignment, followed by a five-minute break. Repeat as necessary.
If your timer just isn’t doing it for you, try these fun apps:
These apps “grow” virtual trees as you complete Pomodoro sets. However, if you try to use your phone for other activities (like texting), it will “kill” your tree. Users can cultivate their forest and collect points to support the purchasing and growing real trees.
Get Sleep and Eat Well
While it might be common knowledge that we need to sleep eight hours each night, it is understandable that we don’t always achieve that goal. However, in peak stress, sleep becomes more important to function properly. Try to wind down at least one hour before bed by getting off your devices. It can be helpful to try a guided meditation or sleep app if you have trouble falling asleep while anxious.
Boost Your Productivity with Music
Listening to music can help boost your mood and productivity. If you find it hard to listen to music while working, try a fast beat with no words, Lo-Fi, or even video game theme music!
Some of our favorites are:
Study in a New Environment
Most of the time, studying in different environments helps you focus. Instead of being confined to your room, try something new, like a coffee shop, a library, or a park.
On campus, some common study spots are:
- All Knight Study
- John C. Hitt Library
- Foxtail
- Starbucks on Memory Mall
- Koi Pond
- Tech Commons
- Trevor Colbourn Hall
- Business Administration 1
- Burnett Honors College Lobby
Conclusion:
Burnout is killer! Remember to take care of yourself during finals (and beyond), and try the strategies outlined in this post.
Charge on,
Alexandra Conte and Danielle Porres
FTC Publications Committee
