I hope all of you are continuing to have a productive, enjoyable, and amazing winter semester. With the end of the year in sight, my to-do list keeps on growing by the day. My friends in other programs are all in a similar situation. Now more than ever, you need to get a handle on the thousands of tasks: creating a comprehensive list of all the tests and assignments due over the next few weeks can help you avoid pulling an all-nighter for an assignment you forgot until the day before. Even better, crossing off an item on a to-do list just feels so good!
Online studying is changing the feel of my workload this year. I feel like I’m in a never-ending cycle of days in front of a monitor. Sometimes I don’t even leave my home for a couple of days. I not only find this lifestyle inefficient (as I constantly keep taking “breaks” to watch Netflix), but also draining. No one wants to sit in front of an online textbook for 8 hours a day for a week straight. If you can, try to take your work offline by listening to lectures while you take a socially distanced walk, printing papers to read outdoors, or just get outside for a quick break!
Around this time of year we are also getting a lot of grades back. When you get a mark, yourself if this what you hoped to receive at the beginning of the semester. If it is, great job and continue what you are doing! If not, try not to dwell on the bad news. Take a glance at how you approached specific assessments and ask yourself why these methods didn’t work out so well. If you’re stuck, go to office hours: they are a fast and effective way to answer questions.
As I have mentioned many times before, my goal for the semester is to make my study sessions more effective. Last semester, I was easily distracted by my phone, Netflix, YouTube, and a million other things. I even remember being distracted by watching the first snowfall of the season. Since my last blog, one method above all has helped me to make the most of my study sessions: writing the tasks I would like to finish during my study period before I start. I write a list of things on a sticky note and I place it on the wall behind my desk. Whenever I feel distracted or feel like giving up, I see the goal I set for myself and feel motivated. I try to keep my goals attainable so that I have a realistic chance of finishing them. The last thing I would want is to write five long tasks to end up only finishing one of them, which would defeat the purpose.
As we embark on the second half of the semester, I feel as though I have finally found my groove and I am motivated to finish the semester off strong. I think finding that work/life balance has helped me stay positive. Remember you can always ask your professors, peers, or Queen’s staff if you need some support as the year draws to a close. If you need help with specific skills like writing a lab report or essay, follow the SASS Instagram page for reminders of new seminars about university tips and tricks!