Surviving Finals (And Fall Finales)

It’s November. And you’re in hell.

If you’re like me, not only do you have finals, final projects, essays, quizzes, and your very first Satanic ritual due, you have fall finales to watch.

So here is your totally up-to-date, in no way hypocritical, guide to studying for your finals/finishing your projects while trying to keep up with your favourite shows (and avoid spoilers).

Now it may seem like a lie, but your schoolwork is more important than TV shows. I know. Shocker. I think every TV addict can agree that this is a given. It’s just that when you spend 24/7 on tumblr and see spoiler-y gifs on the regular, it can be easy to justify watching the new episode of Supernatural right when it comes out. Resist the urge. If you can wait until the weekend, if you can wait until the end of the semester, do it. And this has the amazing and totally realistic bonus of keeping you off tumblr.

Or maybe you can’t resist the urge. Maybe you have to know who’s under the sheet. I get it. Study while the episode loads. It may only take five minutes, but it’s five minutes of studying you wouldn’t have finished otherwise. Alternatively, tell yourself you can’t watch the episode until you finish reviewing one chapter. Not to mention that there’s plenty of studying you can get done during the day. TV shows air at night. If you’re all caught up, that leaves all afternoon for studying.

What happens, you may ask, if you’re completely traumatized by a mid-season finale that leaves your favourite ship broken up – maybe for good? Take a breather. Yes, television is your break, but you’re not going to get anything done if you’re a teary-eyed mess. So go on tumblr. Blog your heart out. Then use studying as a distraction from the pain. Did your ship “take a break”? Did one of them die? Who cares when you have to memorize all the bones in the body by Monday?

If you really have no self-control, try working with the Pomodoro technique. The idea is to work in 25 minute chunks with a 5 minute break in between and every time you finish four work sessions, you get a longer break. Could you use that break to watch the newest episode of your favourite show? You betcha. Could you use the five minute breaks to cry over an unfair character arc? Of course.

Try to keep in mind that your schoolwork is important to you too. Less important than the lives of fictional characters, but still important. So that new show that just came out with the cutest boy on it? Save it as a reward. Once the term is done, you can watch all the new episodes at once without even feeling guilty. Win-win.

Please remember to take care of yourselves as the end of the semester draws near. You will make it – even if your favourite character didn’t.