The time that every student dreads has arrived. Exam and deadline season. As I write this, I am five weeks away from handing in my first deadline. This time of year is always hellish and so I wanted to write a blog post about how to manage exam and deadline season.
Now, I can only speak from personal experience. I'm in my final year studying Creative and Professional Writing. Our course is entirely coursework based, meaning I've only done one university exam. I am going to be mostly talking about how to manage deadline season, but I'm sure some of my advice can be applied to those studying for exams. To any students reading this, I want to wish you the best of luck and here are some things I do to make this time period manageable.
To-Do Lists
This could be a personal preference, but as deadline season approaches, I always feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do. Studying four, intense writing modules, means I have a lot of work to prep for. At this point, I often feel so overwhelmed that I can't start. This is where my first tip comes in. Making to do lists.
I find that setting time aside before I actually start working creating a list of what's due when, what I need to prioritise and so on creates a sense of order in the chaos. I like to write out one big master list with all the things I need to do for all my modules. I include all deadlines (such as when the piece is due and if there's a feedback/tutorial deadline). I like to structure my list in order of which module is due first. I find this means that my priority goes from what is due soon to what is due in the future.
My method of writing lists involves writing out the master to do list on word/notes etc so then I can go and add stuff as and when I need to. Personally, I am more of a handwriter than typer, but with these lists there's often so much to put on, that typing it is more beneficial. Once I have my master to do list complete, I like to break it down into when I want or need to get stuff done by. I find that breaking it down into a list of dates again makes the chaos seem more manageable. Finally, once I know when I have to get stuff done by, I go and write it on my calendar and my planner. This means I always know what work I've got to do that week.
Some people view this process as procrastinating, but by taking as much time as you need to make to-do lists or a schedule it means that you can keep on top of your work more efficiently. You aren't trying to work out what you need to do because you already know what you need to do. Everyone has their own method for scheduling and creating to do lists. This is just how I like to do it. Feel free to try my method or stick with what works for you.
Take Breaks
I don't know about anyone else, but this is something I often need to be reminded to do during deadline season. It can feel wrong, but you need to take breaks. Give yourself a rest from all the hard work you're doing. It's okay to do this.
What I like to do is to schedule in lots of ten minute breaks throughout the day. I try to get two hours of work done in the morning. Starting at around 9:30-9:50am, I get an hours work in, then take ten minutes off. I'll do another hour and then have lunch. I try to get back to work at around 1pm. Depending on how I'm feeling, I like to finish working for the day at between 4-5pm. The largest amount of work I do in an afternoon is about three hours. I always try to get up and move around every hour as I find sitting at my desk all day quite painful.
Recently, I've rediscovered my love for the app called Forest. It's a productivity timer app that you can use to time work sessions from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Lately, when I was feeling a bit burnt out and needed a break, I began using this app again. It's really helped my motivation as I love growing the tiny virtual trees. I'd highly recommend this app.
Again, everyone has their own work methods and how they like to take breaks. This is just the method that works for me. I don't always do everything on my to do list. Please do what's best for you as you know what's best for you.
Routines
This is something I've touched on briefly in the taking breaks section, but making a routine is really valuable. Especially at the moment when there isn't much structure to our days due to the pandemic. I like to treat my day like a work day. I typically work from roughly 9am-5pm. I take an hour for lunch and make sure I take regular breaks to get up and move the body.
Once I stop for the day, that's it. I've stopped. I tidy up my workspace so then I'm ready for the next day. I'm very lucky that at my family home I have a separate work space from my bedroom. This means that when I want to finish, I can leave all my work in another room. It creates that separation that I miss about going onto campus.
My evening routine involves lots of reading. I like to try and read for an hour by myself after I finish working. I do my daily Duolingo for 5-10 minutes a day. I then spend the rest of the evening before I go to bed with my family. I know how difficult it can be to switch off and have that separation during this time, but it is so valuable that you do. It's a mentally and physically exhausting time, so give yourself that little rest-bite that you need to feel recharged for more work the next day.
So those are my tips on how to manage exam and deadline season. I hope you find these useful and that you are able to use some of them in your own management. Once again, good luck to all the students reading this with deadlines and exams coming up. This year hasn't been easy, but we are so near the end and then we can give ourselves a bit of a break.
Carenza :) x
