How do I manage my time effectively during finals week?

Answer 1

Managing my time effectively during finals week requires a balance of organization, discipline, and self-awareness. Here are the key strategies I use:

1. Create a Finals Week Overview
2. At the start of finals week (or earlier), I list all my exams, projects, and deadlines in one place. I note the date, time, and weight of each exam. This helps me prioritize what needs more attention.
3. Prioritize Based on Difficulty and Importance
4. I rank each subject based on how difficult it is for me and how much it affects my grade. I study more for the subjects I struggle with or that carry more weight in the final grade.
5. Build a Detailed Study Schedule
6. I divide my available time into study blocks for each subject, including specific topics (e.g., “Biology – Photosynthesis & Respiration,” not just “Study Biology”). I use color coding to stay organized and motivated.
7. Use Time-Blocking and the Pomodoro Technique
8. I break my day into blocks for studying, breaks, meals, and sleep. I often use the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes study, 5-minute break) to stay productive and avoid burnout.
9. Avoid Multitasking
10. During finals week, I focus on one task at a time. Switching between tasks wastes mental energy. I put my phone away or use apps like Forest or Focus Keeper to stay on track.
11. Prepare Study Materials in Advance
12. Before finals week, I make or gather all my study materials: notes, flashcards, summaries, past exams, etc. This saves time and keeps me focused during study sessions.
13. Use Active Recall and Spaced Repetition
14. I don’t just re-read notes—I quiz myself, use flashcards (like Anki or Quizlet), and teach the material out loud. This helps with long-term retention.
15. Schedule Time for Review, Not Just Learning
16. I leave time before each exam to review key points and practice problems instead of learning something new at the last minute.
17. Take Care of My Health
18. I make sleep a priority—no all-nighters. I also eat well, stay hydrated, and take breaks to walk or stretch. A healthy body supports a focused mind.
19. Reflect and Adjust
20. If something isn’t working (e.g., a subject is taking longer than expected), I adjust my plan. Flexibility helps me stay in control rather than overwhelmed.

By combining these strategies, I’m able to approach finals week with a sense of structure and confidence. It’s not just about working harder—it’s about working smarter.

Answer 2

If you are like me and REALLY struggle to sit at your computer or stare at a book for longer than 30 minutes at a time, here's what I suggest:

1. Take notes:
2. Writing things down can be extremely useful for recall. It can be difficult to stare at a page attempting to memorize information. Make a Google Doc for each chapter on your exam. Google Docs allows you to make subtabs, allowing more information on a single document without making it glitchy. You can do this on your own or with a group from your class. Essentially, the goal is to look for important concepts.
3. Do not be alarmed, understanding what material is important and what to ignore is tricky, but not impossible! Here's what to look out for:
4. Anything bolded, italicized, or underlined.
5. Any definitions
6. Any formulas (for math or science-related subjects)
7. Any theories
8. Any person who is name dropped (you may have questions like “who was the individual who founded this concept?”)
9. Look at the heading of each section. What is that section referring to? Is it a repeat concept? Remember to pick and choose what stands out to YOU. This is because you have to identify what is going to help YOU remember the concept. It’s not necessarily that you have to remember all the information, it's that you need to understand it. If you understand the concept, then even if you don’t know the answer, you can make the best educated guess or find which one makes the most sense for the given topic.

1. Make Quizlets with definitions or concepts.
2. Quizlet allows you to turn the concepts into a game as a way of testing yourself. This is not my favorite method, but my last resort if I am truly struggling to remember concepts.
3. Find a friend to annoy!
4. You can have so much fun with this one, but MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TIME!
5. Sit a friend down and teach the concept to them. Have them ask you questions and engage in the conversation. A Socratic conversation where people bring up various points of the same topic is a great way to get you thinking. ESPECIALLY if you are struggling to get your brain to turn on work/study mode. When you feel confused or struggle to explain a question they have, you know what you have to brush up on, refer to your text, and find the answer together.
6. Talk out loud!
7. Look like a crazy person and talk to yourself. Getting stuck in your head can be one of the worst things for studying. The information can get jumbled up in your head. BUT talking out loud, as if you're explaining the concept to yourself, or even trying to break it down, can force you to stay focused.
8. Multitask!
9. I’m sure many people would disagree with this; HOWEVER, they’ve probably never felt ADHD last-minute procrastination.
10. Try having your notes/textbook read aloud to you while you clean. Personally, I struggle to focus when something is played on a speaker. Either I miss what was said, or I got lost in translation somewhere and ended up needing to go back. That can happen regardless, but I would suggest headphones to block out any other noises.
11. This is a great tool when doing mindless tasks. If you have to think about your task, forget it. It won't be helpful.
12. Try multitasking with listening to audio when cleaning, showering, or working out. If you are going to work out, I would suggest the treadmill or bike (the one in the gym, of course, not riding a bike outside). If you think you can focus on lifting weights, be my guest. I just don’t recommend it since it’s proper to focus on your form and how many reps you complete. With running, walking, or biking, you can just mindlessly move your legs and kill two birds with one stone by fitting in your wellness and your studying.
13. REST!!!!
14. I cannot stress this one enough. Make sure you are getting proper sleep. Finals usually cause us to cram; however, you’ll have put all your energy into studying that you will have exhausted yourself for test day.
15. Remember that even if you have missed some sleep throughout the week for studying, even if you try to get good sleep the day before the test, you will NOT feel rested. Usually, the first night of good sleep feels like you need to catch up on what you missed and typically you will not feel rested even if you slept 8-10 hours.
16. Also, men and women's bodies are different! Men require at least 7-8 hours of sleep, while the minimum for women is 9-10! Make sure you are doing what you need for YOUR body!
17. AND DRINK WATER!!! Please remember to stay hydrated. Studying takes a lot of brain power, and if you are anything like me, this means lots and lots of migraines. Super fun, I know, but staying hydrated, making sure to have electrolytes, and eating healthy meals really does improve your focus and overall brain fog. Instead of heavy meals, try snacking throughout the day. I find that doing this helps me keep my energy and feels rewarding. It provides me with just enough breaks in between where I don’t feel trapped at a desk. Just remember to manage your time and not to use it as a means of procrastinating.
18. Use AI.
19. CONTROVERSIAL, I know. But hear me out. Let’s say you really cannot understand a concept, it's midnight. You have no friends to call, and it's too late for a tutor/you can’t afford it, or there’s just no time for it the next day. What would you do? You’d Google it and try to find any resource or YouTube video that explains it right? So, here’s what you do:
20. Ask ChatGPT to explain it to you.
21. Ask questions. Always ask “Are you sure?” so it double checks its answers if you feel it may be wrong.
22. Remember to have a basic understanding of the concept you are asking it to explain to ensure it is accurate.
23. Interact with it. Re-explain it back to the AI saying “So basically you are saying this concept is xyz and can be broken down into abcd, correct?” The AI will either say yes or no.
24. Ask, if you were to teach this concept to someone, how would you explain it to someone who knows nothing about that topic?
25. You can also try Google NotebookLM. REMEMBER it may not always be accurate. But it can be fun if you want a refresher and struggle learning by just hearing the audio read aloud. This AI will actually turn your work into a podcast. Also, remember that being able to identify something is incorrect means you are understanding the concept. Challenge yourself to judge its accuracy as it is playing. I'd only recommend something like this for final exams since it is expected that you have already learned and been tested on these concepts once before, so you should already know it, but are testing how well you remembered everything you were taught.
26. Remember to use AI with caution. It can’t do it for you, but if you are out of options and need to feel like you are going back and forth in a conversation, it can be really useful. As long as done properly and with academic integrity.
27. DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE.
28. If you know finals are coming up, try to do all of these methods THROUGHOUT the semester. You can always do it again when time for finals as well, but starting all of this with one week to prepare, yikes. I would not wish that upon my worst enemy. You are going to burn out if you put too much on your plate.
29. Remember, you can chip away at it. Start with the bulk, and over time, you will only need to worry about refreshing your memory, rather than teaching yourself concepts all over again.
30. Studying is a never-ending process. And yes, that sucks. However, studying looks different for each person. Some people do well just reading over the material, some people work well in groups, others can’t focus with other people around and get distracted, or some may want someone around as a body double, but set rules about talking not to get distracted. It just depends on the type of person you are.
31. Are you a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Discover that, and you’ll see studying will be a breeze. Once you find out what works for you, it won’t feel so intimidating. Start small and try not to overwhelm yourself.

Answer 3

Finals week can be super stressful, but managing your time doesn’t have to be. Start by writing out everything you have coming up—exams, papers, projects—so it’s all in one place. Then, break your studying into chunks. Try to focus for 45 minutes to an hour, then take a short break. It really helps you stay sharp without burning out.

Plan out your days, but be realistic—don’t try to do 10 hours of studying in one go. Mix tough subjects with easier ones, and make sure you’re still eating, sleeping, and giving your brain a chance to rest. And don’t wait until the night before to cram—it’s way less stressful when you start a little each day.

Most importantly, don’t be too hard on yourself. Finals are intense, but with a good plan (and a little grace), you’ll get through it.