There is a point in every semester when everything seems to be piling up and no matter how much you are doing, it never seems to be enough. When this point comes, burnout inevitably follows. Especially when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and break is on its way.
I get semester burnout every semester but especially in the spring. When all I want is summer to come so I can take a break from essays and homework and getting up early burnout be excruciatingly frustrating.
Take a Break
During this time of the semester, I have found that one of the best ways to get some energy back is to just take a break. Not one of those measly half-hour breaks, but a nice, long day off break. Especially if you have nothing due the next day and you find work that should take around an hour is taking four just take the day for yourself.
Go out with friends
Similarly to just taking a break going out with some friends is a great way to gain some motivation to do homework. Head to the movies, a party, or even just on a coffee date.
One day/One hour at a time
One of the most important things to do when you have semester burnout is to take everything one day and even just one hour at a time. Burnout can be frustrating and if you feed on it by trying to force yourself to do everything as fast as possible nothing will get done. Maybe you don’t do as much as you would like to one day but that doesn’t mean the next will be just as uneventful. Instead, structure your day hour by hour and designate one hour to work as hard as you can on one thing before moving on. Even doing one section of a homework assignment or writing 100 words of an essay before zoning out is better than doing nothing.
Change of scenery
I find that sometimes I sit in my room so long that I can’t focus anymore because I’ve been so unproductive and want to sit in bed. To fix this I will take my laptop outside if it is a nice day or head out to a cafe or the library to mix it up. A change of scenery does wonders to dissipate stir crazy energy.
In college, you really have to learn to pick and choose your battles. Life gets so hectic and it doesn’t help when all you want to do is not do work. Don’t worry about having everything be perfect and know that it is okay to take a break if you need it.
Do you have your own methods to beat semester burnout? I would love to hear about it, let me know in the comments!
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