Students are losing motivation, they are sleeping in longer than usual and they can’t seem to focus on much. It’s the season of the midterm slump. We’ve all been there. This article is even hard to write because I too have caught a case of the midterm slump. In order to avoid succumbing to the pressure of it, there are a few precautions students should take immediately.
The first thing you need to do when all of your time and energy gets spent taking naps instead of doing homework, is think about your student loan debt. It’s a lot easier to justify working hard for good grades, instead of slacking off. The debt is going to be the same regardless, so make it worth something. Freshman elementary education major Caitlyn McCarthy said that what keeps her going is knowing, “I can’t fail, because my parents would kill me.” This is also a good motivator.
The second step is to remove all distractors when you’re studying. Don’t study in your room so close to your bed that you could easily just take a nap in instead. Try studying in the library or with a study group. Don’t check your phone every three seconds when you’re supposed to be doing that math assignment. Your friends can wait, and can also benefit from the lack of distractions themselves. Turn your phone on silent or keep it out of your sight altogether. If you listen to music when you study, listen to joyful or relaxing music, which is the most effective background sounds to improve memorization, according to a study done by The National Library of Medicine.
The third step is to wake up early every morning and go to bed as late as you can, while still allowing for a good eight hours of sleep. Set an alarm, even on the weekend, and make sure to get homework and studying done. The more hours in the day you have, the more time you have to study and focus on your assignments. Sophomore creative writing major Jillian Smiley said, “I have all these assignments and work to deal with. I’m also in a club and it’s very stressful. My secret is lots of coffee and to get my favorite creamer to make the flavor just right to make up for not sleeping.” If you want other ways to stay energized without caffeine, you can check out another ‘Burnian article: “Monster Problem.”
The fourth step to climbing out of the midterm slump is to go out and have fun. Go to a movie or out to eat with friends. All work and no play won’t get anything done. Create incentives to do these fun activities. For every chapter of studying you get done, grab a bite with your friends. For every paper completed, treat yourself to some bowling.
If all else fails, go back to step one and remind yourself why you’re acquiring all this debt. Is it so you can be miserable and get bad grades? Or is it so you can get good grades, develop a strong work ethic and apply it to future careers and accomplishments?