Keep Calm and Carry On: beating Senioritus

Question: Help! As a senior, I have a serious case of slacking. Even when I try to study, I have such great difficulty. How can I beat this senioritis so I actually make it to graduation in May?

Answer: It’s that time of year, slacking season, and as a senior, the bug can really bite you. When we grow weary of the winter weather and all we want is some sunshine and inspiration, keeping up on course work gets tough.
Unfortunately, staying motivated all the time is nearly impossible, especially when social opportunities, graduation plans and spring break seem to take up considerable space in your mind.

After almost four years of copying notes, viewing PowerPoint presentations and obsessively checking OnCourse, it is no surprise you are starting to hit snooze button. Although staying tuned in and focused can be difficult, it is all about the “B-word” — balance. In the same way we get tired when we don’t sleep, we lose focus when we aren’t properly balancing our time.

When I felt myself falling into the senioritis circle of death, I decided to readopt my freshman year scheduling technique, allowing me to allocate my time most wisely. Every week, I make a list of the top tasks that must be done, prioritizing them by their deadlines and importance. With the list already made, I plan out a schedule for each day of that week, fitting in time for school, social activities and, most importantly, reenergizing.

I always make time to exercise — one of the greatest ways to keep the wheels in your brain turning and to help you focus with more ease. I like to look at this method as a dinner plate — allocating enough time to each of those “food groups” that give me a balanced dish.

When I have a really busy week, I make sure to allow more weekend time for a rejuvenating activity. When the senior status gets to you and keeps you from getting out of bed to greet your professors, try and start simply, with an hour-by-hour schedule. Tell yourself it is an experiment As a senior, some days will be much harder than others when you have to wake up early or study for an exam, but the best way to go about it is to rejuvenate yourself as needed so you can always play up to par. At the end of the day, you are that much closer to bittersweet graduation, so never forget your time here is a gift.

­— espitzer@indiana.edu

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