5 Tips for Treating Senioritis

By Lauren Haan on February 5, 2018

According to Google’s dictionary, senioritis is a supposed affliction students experience in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance. Being a second-semester college senior, I can attest to the fact that senioritis does exist. It can show up in various strengths, but can be combated. Here is a list of remedies I have found that are proven to help the struggling senior.

via Pixabay.com

1. Plan your week

Whether you start getting work done for the upcoming week on Sunday or Monday, it is important to stop and create a plan before you begin. There is a popular saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” If you don’t take some time to figure out what you need to accomplish, it is easy to become overwhelmed and forget what you need to do, which can lead to a less than desirable final year for seniors.

According to motivational speaker Toby Robbins, “A major source of stress in our lives comes from the feeling that we have an impossible number of things to do. If you take a project and try to do the whole thing at once, you’re going to be overwhelmed.” In order to effectively plan, look at your deadlines and create an agenda that includes when you will work on each assignment as well as when each assignment is due.

2. Reward yourself

When you plan your week and cross assignments off of your agenda, your body will reward itself by releasing dopamine, which can further motivate you to keep getting work done. The satisfaction of completing an assignment looming over you is great; however, if you do need that extra push to get something done, plan small rewards for yourself.

On my weekly agenda, I like to include things that I want to do as well. Such as attending a fitness class, getting dinner with my friends, or grabbing coffee. Knowing when I will get to reward myself always gives me that extra push to stay focused in the library.

3. Go to the library with your friends

It is extremely important to surround yourself with a genuine support system. According to the Huffington Post, having the right team in place to help you is vital to your success. “You will be amazed what you and your team can accomplish when you are all motivated and working toward the same goal.”

Allison, a fellow senior at James Madison University studying psychology, states “Whenever I know I need to go to the library, but really don’t feel like it, I will make plans to go with someone in my classes or a couple good friends who I know need to get homework done as well. We motivate one another to stay on task and get our work done so we can relax and enjoy ourselves.”

4. Rehearse your victories

According to the Huffington Post, oftentimes we forget how far we’ve come and the successes we’ve already accomplished. They recommend finding a token of achievement that you can carry with you to remind yourself that you are a winner. Whether you have a constant reminder or not, as you finish up senior year, take a moment to reflect on all of your accomplishments.

Maybe you made Dean’s or President’s list last semester, you’re about to finish your degree, which is a HUGE accomplishment or maybe you just got a job offer. Whatever it may be, reflect on that and how it made you feel; keep in mind that you won’t continue to succeed if you don’t put in the work!

5. Plan for your future

If you do find yourself taking repeated study breaks and not really accomplishing much in the library, take that time to job hunt or look into graduate school programs. Browsing jobs and/or graduate programs online doesn’t require that much brain power, so rather than mindlessly scrolling through social media or online shopping, it would be beneficial to see what is out there. Indeed.com and wayup.com are great places to start a job search. Employers from all over the country post openings and job descriptions, you can even apply directly through these websites.

Whenever my brain can’t think anymore, my favorite way to stay productive is by browsing for jobs in my dream cities. You never know, what can happen after graduation; the possibilities are endless!

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