I've taken my last class of the semester, finished my senior project, and have about five holiday-themed events on my social calendar, which can only mean one thing... tis the season for final exams! The pic above definitely describes how I'm feeling (it was my phone background for at least a month).
With so much going on, sometimes it can be hard to manage everything you need to get done in such a short window - especially if you have 3 papers due on the same day, like me. Planning out my study schedules have been such a helpful tool to make sure that I keep track of my time. Not only do I like to plan when I'll get work done, but I also block in specific time for social events, packing/laundry/etc, and even eating. By knowing what the times are that I can't be doing work or studying, I'm better at scheduling how I will spend my active study hours. Follow this link to a Google Drive of the spreadsheet I print off during finals, and other busy exam times. When you go to print the sheet, make sure you 'fit to page' so that none of the boxes get cut off!
Here are some of my tips for how to fill out this sheet:
- Usually when I print this from Excel, I change the top bar so that whatever day of the week it currently is, I make the first day. This way it doesn't waste extra boxes for days that have already passed. Adjust accordingly by rewriting the proper days of the week in the top bar.
- Start by filling out any mandatory obligations you have during the week. This could be classes, test times, or meetings.
- Once you have the mandatory obligations filled in, work on deciding your 'personal care' items. Set a time in your schedule to have breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, shower, and do laundry and clean. Also think about what time you'd like to wake up and go to bed each night, and try to stick to it!
- Once you know when all of your necessary activities are going to be, start blocking out your schedule for studying and other activities. I like to go ahead and first mark off any times that I have set aside for social things, such as seeing my university's annual lighting ceremony, or attending a yearly holiday party for my dance team.
- Know how long you think each assignment will take you, and plan accordingly. If you know that you will need 12 hours of nonstop working to finish the paper you have, make sure that you plan at least 12 hours of study time for that particular assignment. Maybe you want to spend 2 hours per chapter of statistics... whatever it may be! There's no harm in blocking out too much time!
- Don't schedule too much time for any one assignment or class. Looking at the same subject for extended periods can make your studying boring and hard to retain info, so block out 2-3 hour chunks for one class and then move on to another. Switching up what class you study for can break up your day, and can help refresh you if you are struggling with a certain concept. No one wants to spend 7 hours looking at the same problem they don't understand, but sometimes taking a break to work on something else allows you to have a new perspective when looking at the problem again later.
- I like to color code my schedule based on types of events, but find a system that works for you. When I make my study schedules, I use red for exam times and deadlines, pink for social events, purple for anything dance related, and gold for my sorority activities. I also usually try to pick a different color for each class and color code my study times too.
- Don't stress too much if you don't stick exactly to a timeline. Sometimes you'll find that an assignment takes you more or less time than you had planned, and that is okay! If writing things down in pen stresses you out because it seems set in stone, use pencil so that you can go back and readjust later.
Good luck on finals! I won't be headed home for the holidays until the 19th or 20th this year... when do your finals end?
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