Before Christmas Break: A Guide to Staying Productive

Christmas Break is on the Horizon

               Ladies and gentlemen, it’s here again: the most wonderful time of the year—well, almost here. Christmas break is just a few short weeks away (less depending on where you attend). With it comes the sweet, sweet promise of a rest from school, studying, assignments, and the constant stress and pressure of school. Whether it’s college or high school, Christmas break comes with a breath of peppermint-fresh air.

               Just a few weeks (or less) and then classes are replaced with cookie decoration, seeing old friends, spending time with family, Santa Claus movies, and whatever other fun traditions or plans you have for Christmas break. But unfortunately, before we can check out and put up the tree, we need to get through finals week, which is arguably the most intensive time of the semester. With so much else that we’d like to be doing (all things Christmas-related) it can be difficult to stay present and motivated during these last classes before Christmas break begins.

               Believe me, I get it. I too would like to shirk all responsibility in the name of Christmas and disappear into the world of holly-jolly good tidings and sweets that rot my teeth. So, what are we to do? In the name of good (or passing) grades, we can’t just check out mentally and forfeit these last assignments, papers, and exams. We’re so close, after all. No, we must stay strong, put in the work, and finish like the champions that we are! (We’re all winners here, don’t argue)

Staying Productive

               So, let’s get to it then. We need methods to get us through this madness. Call it a Christmas gift, but I’m here to give you several great tips for staying productive in these emotionally and mentally taxing weeks ahead. Here’s some ways that we can ensure we are staying productive before Christmas break:

Make a Schedule

               First things first, you need to know what assignments are due when. Compile a list of all the assignments and exams that you have coming up, and their dates. Now, this may end up looking like a truly intimidating to-do list, but this, my friends, is the master list. This is the thing that you are going to take great pleasure in checking off, day after day, until the last item is crossed out.

               Once we have a list of everything that is coming, we break it up. Now we know what needs to be done first. This way, we can plan out when we’re going to work on what assignments. Once we have an idea of what needs to be done, and by when, we can start to build a daily schedule, with study times, writing times, and—best believe it—rest times.

               I would highly recommend writing the things that you want to get done everyday down and as you finish each task, cross it out. It may seem unnecessary, but just the act of being able to check something off your list and physically see that you’ve accomplished something, and the list is getting shorter can be a massive encouragement, especially during times when our workload feels as endless as the naughty/nice list.

               Blocking out times during our daily schedule to study and work on assignments is super helpful in making sure that we aren’t procrastinating, but it’s also vitally important that we work in breaks for ourselves. Too much, all at one time can lead us to burn out, like the sad sputtering out of our favorite holiday-scented candle. Do we have a lot to get done? Most likely yes. But we also need to give ourselves enough space to breathe and rest, so that our brain continues to operate.

               Think of it like a scale. Too much rest, nothing gets done; too much work, the brain gives up. It’s a fine balance, but through a little trial and error you’ll find it. For more information on burnout (and how to avoid it), check out our blog post on College Burnout.

Try Different Studying Techniques

               Finding effective studying techniques that will help you retain information and be the most productive you can be is also key to cutting down your pre-Christmas Break to-do list. Not everything works for everyone. Try out a couple different study techniques, or shuffle through them to keep things lively and interesting for yourself. Maybe take some time quizzing yourself on key terms, go through flashcards, do some read-throughs throughout the day, or try breaking up tasks with the Pomodoro Technique.

               There are plenty of great studying techniques to try that can make staying productive more enjoyable and easier. For more information about different kinds of studying techniques, read our blog post on Study Hacks!

Get a Study Group

               They say that misery loves company… well so does study-time stress and pressure. Study groups are a great way to add a little fun to your study/assignment time. Working with other people can motivate us in our studies, improve our mood (especially if we actually like the people), and make learning more enjoyable. Study groups open up more opportunities for study games, like Kahoot or jeopardy.  

               Study groups are a great opportunity to get to know other people in your classes. It’s a great way to make friends, cement class contacts, and build connections with people that you can ask for homework help or class notes (for when you miss class). Studying with other people can also help you with staying focused and not getting too easily distracted as you’ll have other people there to pull your attention back to the subject (not always true, some people are distracting–avoid them).

Reward Yourself

               Positive reinforcement goes a long way in staying productive. It’s easier to put the work in when you know there is something waiting for you at the end. Remember as a child, when your effort and obedience could be bought for candy? Turns out, as an adult/college student, we aren’t much different. It’s like bribery, but for a productive cause. After every completed study session, you allow yourself a snack, a break to watch a short episode of a show, scrolling-on-your-phone time, or something like that.

               For different completed tasks, have different rewards. Change it up, don’t have the same reward every time or you’ll get bored with it.  Just make sure they are things that you’re going to look forward to, things that will motivate you to get the work done. Perhaps there’s a movie you want to go see with your friends? Let that be the reward for completing a term paper or finishing an exam. Maybe you’ve been craving breakfast at midnight with your squad? After a group study session, or a hard-core exam prep, treat yourselves to Denny’s at 1am.

               You know yourself and what you like. Pick things that will effectively motivate you and work as bribery to keep you productive.

Designate a Study Space

               This is going to be a place that you go, where distractions are limited, focus is sharp, and your surroundings are calm and inspire productivity. It will not be the same for every person. For some people, this means a library or a private study room in the library. For others, this could be an empty classroom.

               For me, some of the places I find staying productive easiest are coffee shops. From the smell of roasting coffee to the quiet and constant folksy-jazz beats, it’s a creative sanctuary. However, some people struggle to concentrate in places like coffee shops because there are too many people moving around. Maybe your most inspiring location is in a garden. Power to you, if that’s the case.

               There are many places that your study place can be, but there are also a lot of places that it can’t be. Namely, it can’t be your bed. Your brain will associate places and activities, and because your bed is your rest and relaxation spot, your concentration and productivity will likely take a hit. Find places that don’t already have associations for you, so that when you bring your notes and assignments to this place, your brain associates it with work and knows it’s time to lock in.

Health and Sleep

               Your physical health actually plays a big role in staying productive. You’ve heard it said, “happy wife, happy life.” It’s like that, except “happy body, happy mind.” What this looks like is a healthy diet, exercise, and plenty of sleep. And yes, I did say PLENTY of SLEEP.

Sleep is very important to keep your mind sharp. Our body rests and resets when we sleep, so does our mind. When we don’t get enough rest, our cognitive functions slow down, our mind feels like it’s being dragged through mud, and our mood is usually pretty low (at least compared to normal). Basically, it’s us operating on low battery. Sleep is how we recharge that. Rest is essential to a functioning mind. So, when we talk about staying productive, making sure that we get enough rest is an essential part of that.

Taking care of our diet and exercise is also key. Our brain, like our bodies, runs on fuel (that is, what we put into our bodies). When we eat a lot of junk food that’s high in sugar and other delicious but bad-for-us things, we don’t provide sufficient nutrients to our bodies to keep us energized and strong. Foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, such as proteins, vegetables, and fruits, give us energy, power our bodies, and supply our brains with necessary nutrients to fuel its many functions.

Finally, exercise is a great way to boost your productivity and focus. Taking a study break to do a quick run, workout, or walk can give your brain a jump start. The reason is because exercise gets the blood pumping and releases endorphins in our brains, which is the feel-good hormone. That’s why we often feel elated or just better after working out. Plus, more blood and oxygen going to your brain can mean higher function, which can make us feel like we’re thinking more clearly or faster.

So, when you feel like you’re hitting a wall in your study or paper-writing, take a break and go for a jog or walk. You’ll be surprised how quickly you start coming up with ideas. During these last couple of weeks especially, keep some healthy food in the fridge/pantry. And please, for the love of Christmas, get some sleep.

Keep your Stress in Check

               This reads like a “duh” moment, but during a time that is chocked full of one stressor after another, it actually isn’t something we often take care of well. Stress is not inherently a bad thing, but untended stress can lead to bad things. Chronic stress, for example, can leave us with headaches, irritability, low concentration, dizziness, fatigue, memory loss, and other unpleasant things long after the stressors have passed. Unchecked for long enough and stress can turn into anxiety and depression.

               The problem is that during these weeks before Christmas break, what are we supposed to do about the stress? It sort of comes with the territory of finals week. I’m not saying give up or toss your cares to the wind. Stress management does not necessarily mean you have to get rid of the stressors. It does mean that you need to manage the symptoms.

               Stress management can be things like healthy diet, exercise, and proper sleep hygiene. Put good things into your body, get the blood pumping and the endorphins spreading. Having a creative outlet is also helpful with stress management. Utilizing the free counseling department that most (if not all) colleges have is a great method of managing prolonged stress. Stress does not need to be all-consuming during finals week (nor should it be). For more information on what symptoms to look out for and how to manage stress, check out our blog post on Stress Management.

Accept Help when it’s Offered

               From anyone. At pretty much any time. If it’s a TA (teacher’s assistant), classmate, the professor, or someone who just knows a lot about a subject you’re about to be tested on, accept help. Even when we don’t think we need it, just being able to see the course content from a different perspective can be incredibly beneficial to improving our understanding of what we’re learning.

               And when you do need help, when you are struggling, know where to go to get that help. Professors have office hours—use them. Email them with questions, visit them during office hours to get help with assignments or chapters that you are struggling to grasp. Ask classmates to study with you. If you need more personalized instruction, go to the tutoring/writing center. These are free for students to use, meant to help you succeed in all your classes.

               And, if worse comes to worse, and you need to find backup plans for retaking classes or getting the credits elsewhere, talk to your academic advisor. They’ll help you figure out your options and the best way to go to avoid too much disruption to your degree track.

               There are so many options for help available at colleges to give you the best chance of success. To see what else you can do and where else you can go for help, check out our blog post about college resources.

Staying Focused before Christmas Break

               Looking forward to Christmas Break is great motivation to get you through the chaos that is finals week. Don’t lose hope, you’re in the homestretch. Keep going, try out these great tips for staying productive, and destroy the exams and papers (not your grade). You can do this, stay strong, finish strong, and then you’re free to build snowmen, eat Christmas cookies, and binge watch the Santa Clause movies with your family without a care in the world. If nothing else, do it for that. Merry Christmas (almost)!

For information on Christian colleges/universities, or to be entered into one of our scholarship drawings, visit us at The Christian Connector.