With finals right around the corner and many final projects coming up within the next couple of weeks, I figured I’d share some of my study strategies/favorite study break pastimes. While the idea of study breaks has certainly drawn mixed results, if you find them to be helpful then here are some of mine (in no particular order):
1. Go outside – Being in sunny SoCal, I use any excuse to get outside. When it’s a balmy 70 degrees out and sunny 360/365 days every year, put the book down and stock up on some vitamin D.
2. Work out –
^^
3. Skateboard around campus – My favorite spot has to be the parking structure behind Leavey Library. Disclaimer: Safety not guaranteed and this is probably frowned upon by DPS…
4. Cook something – While I’m certainly no Bobby Flay, it can be relaxing and tasty to use a study break to whip up a quick snack or meal.
Rock on
5. Read a book/interesting articles you’ve been saving – DISCLAMIER: It can be very easy to lose track of time with this option. That quick 15 min break you thought you’d spend reading Vonnegut suddenly turns into a 3 hour ordeal. ¡Ten cuidado!
6. Call your family – While you should already be maintaining regular contact with family/friends back home, sometimes it’s nice to use a study break to chat up a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a little while. For me, I’m a big fan of skyping my Goldendoodle back home named Louie.
LOUIEEEEEEE
7. Play MarioKart – Since I live in a house with 11 other guys, it’s usually pretty easy to find someone down to play a quick couple rounds of MarioKart. However, in our house certain rules apply. The course is always Baby Park and everyone must use the gold car. NO. EXCEPTIONS.
This ain’t no game. We play for keeps.
8. Browse random websites – Some of my favorite time killing sites include devour.com, uncrate.com, quora.com, and naturally reddit.com to name a few.
And after the study break is wrapping up, sometimes a little extra motivation is needed to push through those last couple hours of mechoptronics or heat transfer homework. In these cases, I turn to a few cheesy but entertaining videos to get me pumped up: Make It Count, Underdog.
Hasta luego,
Zach
