We all know this feeling: You’ve spent the whole week studying for an exam, cramming your lecture notes and running on dangerously low levels of sleep. Suddenly, as your alarm rings the next morning, you wake up feeling like you really don’t want to do anything today. You can’t seem to find the motivation to get out of bed, let alone tackle the sizable to-do list sitting on your desk. 

These things happen, especially as we approach the end of the semester. And there’s no point in fighting it, nor is there a point in halfheartedly attempting to start that essay due at the end of the week — in fact, you’ll just end up losing more time. The key here is to look for the things that you don’t want to have looming over you when you are finally ready to put your head down and start studying. Need some ideas? We’ve got you covered!

Plan the week 

Sometimes, we find ourselves lacking motivation when our tasks seem overwhelming and impossibly lengthy. Creating a schedule is different from having a planner because it lets you set aside time for not only school responsibilities, but also for the things you love most, such as hanging out with friends or watching Netflix. 

Plan your next trip 

As winter break approaches, many of us might have made plans to spend time with friends and family. Planning your trips beforehand is, in my opinion, a very enjoyable and important prerequisite to traveling. Not only will this give you something productive to do, but it will allow you to get excited for the holidays and remind you that there is a very appealing end to the dreaded week of finals. 

Tidy your room 

Have you been neglecting your basic chores because of a “lack of time?” Well, this might just be the perfect opportunity to get on top of your chores. Keeping your room clean and tidy is more important than you might think. Your room is the place where you start and end each day, and ensuring that it stays tidy can help with motivation and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

Do the pile of laundry

It’s one of the easiest tasks to tackle, and think of the time you’d save later on if you catch up on it now. As much as you might hate it, you can never escape laundry. So why not get it over and done with? Trust me, your future self will thank you later. 

Plan your Christmas presents

You don’t want to be the friend or sibling that offers every single person a $20 Amazon gift card for Christmas. I know it can sound tempting, but actually dedicating time to planning gifts for your friends and family ensures that you properly show your appreciation for the people you love. And trust me, you don’t want to leave this for your final week of the semester — you’ll have more important things to do then.

Organize your files

Remember that time, either at high school or at college, when you needed to find your notes for a physics class but they happened to vanish from your computer? I do, and I know that I don’t want that nightmare happening ever again. Making sure your computer files are organized will actually maximize your productivity, as it will help you save time searching for specific notes or readings later on. 

Start some online research, and bookmark important links

 When I’m feeling particularly lazy, I look at my planner and search for upcoming essays or research papers. One of the easiest, yet most essential steps to writing a paper is starting your online research and saving all the websites and articles that could potentially be valuable. Later, when you’re ready to start working on the paper, you’ll conveniently have all the citations saved.

Meal prep 

As a freshman, I can’t really relate to this one too much, but I thought I’d include it anyway because taking care of your meals helps you save time and money, and it reduces the stress of trying to eat healthier later on. Amid hectic weekly schedules, it’ll be reassuring to know that you don’t have to worry about figuring out what to eat for lunch and dinner. 

With all these suggestions, though, it’s important to recognize when you’re feeling unmotivated versus when you’re fully burnt out. If you’re feeling exhausted, ditch this list. Ditch the productivity. Take the night off, watch some Netflix, treat yourself to some ice cream and come back to tomorrow. 

If, however, you’re just sick of the everyday routine and the never-ending to-do list of college life, take it easy and switch up your tasks. It’s the final stretch, everybody!