Story by Molly Longman
It’s that time of the year again.
Midterms are over, day-light savings is upon us and college students everywhere are hit hard by a wave of laziness.
It hinders their ability to be productive and makes them toss their work ethics out the window and into the snow they wish wasn’t on the ground.
Some say it’s the weather. Others say it’s the thought of the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes that are less than a month away. However, whatever it is that causes the slump for students isn’t the issue. It’s how to get out of it.
Motivate yourself. No one is in charge of you but you. It’s up to you to find ways to inspire yourself to do your best in classes and study hard.
Joe Fahey, a student at Drake University, said if he gets a bad grade on something, he hangs it on the wall above his desk to motivate him to study more.
Other students offer themselves incentives.
“Why not reward yourself with a new pair of yoga pants for an ‘A’ on that tricky sociology mid-term?” said Emelia Fabel, another Drake student.
Another way to make sure you don’t take part in this troubling phenomenon is to use the buddy system.
Coordinate study dates with your fellow students.
Beth Younger, a professor at Drake, is an advocate for group study.
“Working with other people who are going through the same thing you are helps you become motivated because you realize you’re not alone. Group study also forces you to be accountable,” Younger said. “When you are working with others, you won’t just log into Facebook or Twitter and put off that paper for another “half-an-hour.”
They say if you work hard, you can play hard. Be sure not to procrastinate, so you are able to take study breaks.
Pulling an all-nighter or doing a weeks worth of work in a day is never fun. During the slump, students procrastination habits intensify. Doing your work ahead of time allows you to maintain a positive mindset. Younger suggests going for a walk between paragraphs.
