For some unknown reason, spring semester is the worst thing ever for me. It's 100 times harder than fall and summer classes, and I have so much trouble concentrating and motivating myself for class and studying. The semester seems to drag on so much slower than fall semester and it makes me exhausted. Since I'm struggling with this semester, I figured I'd share some tips on how to stay motivated:

1. Listen to meditation music, not Top 40 songs.

The music you listen to while studying and doing homework can determine how concentrated you'll be. I thought this was a myth until I started listening to sound playlists and meditation songs and it improved my ability to concentrate a lot.

2. Turn your phone off or keep it away from you.

This was the hardest for me to do for a while, but I can't suggest it enough. I always turn my phone on silent and face down, that way I don't see notifications. If I really need to concentrate, I turn notifications off on my laptop while I'm at it so I have absolutely no distractions.

3. Stop procrastinating and just get it done.

I spend the majority of my time procrastinating studying and doing homework, so by the deadline of an assignment, I'm rushing to get it finished because I waited until the last possible minute to do anything.

4.Lay off the caffeine.

I love coffee and I'm super grumpy if I don't have any in a day. With that being said, I used to drink almost 4-5 cups a day because I don't sleep well and I would need to study and catch up on classes. That much coffee in my system didn't help me study anymore than I already was, but it made me focus less. I would be too wired on coffee and wouldn't be able to think of anything because I had so much caffeine in my system.

5. Make a study plan or schedule.

Sometimes on Sundays, I look at all of my assignment deadlines and I organize them by priority and when they're due. Typically, I'll have one to two assignments a day, but it's a lot easier knowing I only have that to do rather than five different assignments at once.

Spring semester may be super easy for you, but if it's a struggle like it is to most people, try some of these tips! No one will know why spring semester is so hard, but we'll get through it.