With finals week quickly approaching, everything is entering crunch time. Professors are trying to stay on schedule, as classes are limited by the number of days left in the semester. While they are trying to get through much of their curriculum as possible, the students are most likely just trying to get through the days as the countdown gets smaller and smaller until break. Writing papers and doing assignments, all the while thinking, I’m almost done, becomes the mantra of many during the next couple of weeks.
With break just out of reach, along comes stress. The idea of studying is just as prominent on the mind as plans for the days to come when the semester is over. Although studying is important, it does not mean it is always enjoyable. It is something that needs to be done but tends to draw the short straw in when to do it, as it's usually put off until the point where it cannot be put off anymore.
Here are some things that very well help put off the procrastination.
1. Music
With music, it depends on whether it is a distraction or not. For some, music actually helps the studying along and for others, it furlongs it. It might be as simple as the type of music you listen to—lyrical, instrumental, genre. However, listening to music paired with watching the video, or prompting impromptu dance sessions, studying is most likely put off. Songs like "the Duck Song" may be more of a distraction than an aid.
2. Looking up memes about procrastination
Oddly enough, it happens. A laugh here and there soothes the feeling to just be done. Have you seen this one?
What about this one?
3. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat
Let’s face it- social media is both a blessing and a curse. Perhaps, the biggest source of procrastination is constantly checking in and updating. Maybe throwing in a post or tweet about that studying life.
4. Constant email checking
It may not seem like it, but constantly checking emails is a thing. Waiting to see if you will receive that one email that might change things—maybe a cancellation, one less page of a paper to write, no studying is needed—one can hope, right?
5. YouTube
YouTube can be a person's best friend. It has endless possibilities of distractions. Music has already been touched upon, but what about some others that gather the full attention of the viewer. Compilations are a go-to. Watching cute animals, laughing babies, pranks, or the aftereffects of having wisdom teeth pulled. Nowadays, it is all about the mannequin challenge.
6. Texting
We are told that we always have a screen in our face and that may very well be true, for the most part. In this day and age, we have so much technology at the palms of our hands that it is becoming more of the norm. Texting is already an established distraction for a lot of things, studying included.
7. Television/Netflix
What is a better escape from studying than watching the lives of others and all the happenings that have going on. You know that Gilmore Girls was just released on Netflix, right?
There are plenty of distractions out there and other simple day to day activities such as napping and snacking, but it is all about putting them off until what needs to be done is done. That includes finals week.
