Catching Up at Thanksgiving

Yay, it's Thanksgiving Break! Nine days off from class, and a wonderful time to catch up. You probably have great intentions to get all sorts of work done over the break. But will you really do it? A long stretch of unstructured time can actually be the most difficult time to stay focused. So, here is some advice for helping yourself be productive over Thanksgiving Break.

Tips for a Productive Break

  1. Plan to do a little bit of work every day, with a mix of work and sleep/fun/catching up with friends each day. You do need to rest and recharge over the break, so it's okay to make that a priority too.
  2. To avoid leaving everything to the last minute, set a schedule for when you will work and when you will play. The Duck Stops Here has great suggestions and examples for making your schedule. Download planners from Academic Skills Coaching.
  3. Break any major projects down into smaller tasks. For instance, maybe you need to write a draft of a research paper. Plan to research on Monday, outline on Tuesday, draft on Wednesday, take a break on Thursday, and then edit with a fresh set of eyes on Friday.
  4. To help commit to your schedule, create some accountability for yourself. Tell your family about your worktime and ask them to ask you what you got done, or post to Facebook that you are going to have an outline of your research paper before you meet your friends for a movie at 8pm.

Getting Ahead and Preparing for Exams

Maybe you don't have any major deadlines after break? A long stretch of unstructured time can be a great time to get ahead, and use some of the study strategies that you might not feel you have time for during the quarter. For instance:

  1. Create more time for yourself. Set up tasks that you can complete in small bits of time that would otherwise be wasted. For instance, if you are taking a language, then having flashcards or a flashcard app on your phone can let you use 10 minutes standing in line to study vocabulary, and convert dead time into productive time. Break is a great time to get those flashcards all set up for intensive studying in Week 10 and Finals Week, or whatever may be the equivalent of flashcards for other classes. The Duck Stops Here suggests some apps you can use.
  2. Write your own cheat sheet. Whether your instructor lets you bring notes to the exam or not, writing a review sheet is a great way to study for an exam. It forces you to figure out what you know and don't know, and to organize it in a way that makes sense to you. Break gives you the time to begin reviewing in depth, identifying the key concepts and thinking about how they fit together.
  3. Review your past exams. Ideally you worked through midterms or essays soon after getting them back, but if you didn't, use your break to see what the old assignments can teach you about doing better on the final assignments. How do you do that? See here.

See Also