Until2022ā²s Guide to Catching Up When Youāre Drastically Behind in Study:
The first step in the plan is to confront how bad the situation is and then make some calls about what you can realistically achieve in the time you have left.Ā
List everything you have to do, down to exact detail - donāt write ācatch up on readings for Virologyā, but instead note down every chapter. This will make it a lot easier to gauge how much time and energy you need for each assignment or exam, and will help to motivate you as you work through.Ā
Use an Eisenhower matrix to sort these tasks:
Important and Urgent: Any and all compulsory assignments, exams, tests, etc.Ā
Important but Not Urgent: Lectures for upcoming exams, compulsory readings or labs, etc.
Urgent but Not Important: Additional homework or tasks that are due soon but arenāt worth much, like logbooks or small quizzes
Not Important and Not Urgent: Additional readings, nice lecture notes, and other āgood-to-havesā
Now cross out everything that you can afford not to do. Thatās going to be everything in your āNot Important and Not Urgentā zone, and probably all of the things in your āUrgent but Not Importantā zone. I know that itās annoying not to get everything done, or to sacrifice the 5% that you could have gotten, but unless you can do it in 10 minutes and itās really worth it you simply donāt have the time to spare here.Ā
Having said that, if a class has lots of small assignments due, donāt overlook them because theyāre not worth much on their own - make sure you take a look at the overall percentage left to go in that subject. If you can dedicate a whole day to just that subject and smash through all those assignments in one, youāre crossing a lot of work off your list. For example, I have weekly quizzes and 2% labs in my Pathology course - if Iām behind, Iāll dedicate a whole day and do all of those assessments. Thatās 20% out of the way and a big leap towards catching up.Ā
II. Tackle the low-hanging fruit
Seeing the product of countless days of procrastination is probably pretty daunting right now. I could offer you platitudes here but itās a lot easier for you to actually take some action and feel better about it yourself, so:
Do everything that will take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Reply to those emails, the messages in the assignment group chat, upload your peer assessment, do all the little things you need to do for someone else. That should cross out a big chunk of things from your list, and youāll be left with the important stuff like finishing assignments and studying for exams.Ā
If youāre panicking (seeing the huge list of stuff which you have to finish in an impossibly short time will often do this!) then try an easy square breathing exercise. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, repeat. Splashing cold water on your face is helpful too, as is having a glass of water. Do not use this time to procrastinate! It might sound like a good idea to relax by watching Youtube or Netflix, scrolling through Instagram or playing a video game, but youāre going to be sucked back into the procrastination game that got you here in the first place.Ā
III. Create your plan of attackĀ
Youāve left it too late to be regularly revising, so our plan of attack is basically going to be: cram every subject consecutively. This is the best way to get everything done when youāre pressed for time like this - donāt switch tasks or subjects. Interleaving subjects is great when youāre on schedule, but right now you donāt want to spend quarter of an hour getting into the groove of a certain subject and then switching before an hour has passed.Ā
University is just one assignment after another, no breathing space in between, especially towards the end of the semester. All you need to do is work out whatās due first and whatās worth most, order everything according to those criteria and then focus on the first assessment until youāre done. Once the assignment is handed in or youāve sat the exam, then you can move onto the next task.
If you have two different assignments due for different classes on the same day, plan ahead so you can dedicate a full day to each subject instead of working on both at the same time.Ā
Plan out every single day - make sure youāre scheduling in time to eat, shower, sleep, and take breaks as well as to study. Be specific when planning your time out each day as to what tasks youāre hoping to achieve - donāt allocate too much time to any single lecture, but at the same time, be realistic about how much you can cover in one hour.Ā
Choose wisely based on what you do or donāt know. There isnāt much point in spending this precious time revising the things you already know youāre good at, so suck it up and schedule in the hard stuff first up, but be prepared to move on if you canāt get it down. Youāre far better off going into the exam knowing 10 things badly, than 1 thing really well, so focus on the basics and if you have time to learn the more complex details then go back and do that later.Ā
You also need to be flexible and prepared to adjust - sometimes an assignment will take longer than expected or a day just wonāt be as productive as you thought it might be. Donāt panic, just re-plan and shift things around so you keep moving in the right direction.Ā
Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to achieve and when, itās time to get it done. Ā
For once, you shouldnāt need to worry about simple procrastination. YouāreĀ probably already panicking, so turn that anxiety into motivation which will fuel you and let you focus for long time periods. Fear can be a great driver - when the threat of the exam is looming over you, itās amazing how well you can knuckle down, assuming you donāt want to fail.Ā
Pack a bag with everything you need - your laptop or tablet, your charger, headphones, a water bottle and a travel mug, snacks and meals for the day, and anything else you like to have with you when youāre studying. Then take yourself to the library, the local coffee shop, the office - wherever you like to study, but donāt sit at home. Thereās too many opportunities for distraction and you cannot afford that right now. Being in an environment where other people are working will motivate you to do the same.Ā
If youāre working on an assignment, the best way to get things done quickly is to let go of any preconceptions of doing a great job, or having a perfect draft, and instead just focusing on having a draft. Bash out the worst draft youāve ever written, fill it with run-on sentences and spelling mistakes. But make sure you finish a draft. Then all you have to do is edit it, and itās a lot quicker to do it this way than it is getting bogged down in the details before youāve even begun.Ā
When youāre studying for exams, the number one way to learn is through active recall. There is no point in wasting time writing out a full set of notes if youāre two days out from the test. Even if you feel like you donāt know a single thing, start off straight away by testing yourself - do past exams, drill flashcards, try and write outlines or mind maps and then check your notes or textbooks and fill in what youāve missed. If you donāt know the answer or you get it wrong, look it up and try to understand it, and then test yourself again in twenty minutes.Ā
Itās important to strike a balance here: donāt overextend yourself, but donāt continually take breaks. If you think you need a break, you probably donāt. Take two minutes to stretch your legs and drink some water, but do not pick up your phone. If youāre starting to feel mentally fatigued, especially after a few hours, it can be helpful to switch locations - go outside and study on a park bench, or shift to the dining hall. Sometimes the change of scenery is all you need to feel refreshed.Ā
This is your life now. Make sure you stick to a regular sleep schedule - aim for at least six hours a night - because otherwise your fatigue levels will seriously impact your memory, retention and critical thinking abilities. Itās not worth the few extra hours you might get in, and you probably wonāt be productive anyway.Ā
Remember that the advice Iāve given you here is based on what I do when I am severely behind, not how I study on a daily basis when Iām on top of everything. These tips arenāt all great for long-term learning, but are the most efficient way to cram when youāre behind and under pressure.Ā
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