I am a firm believer in the whole ‘study smart, not hard’ thing. If you are tired, bored, or just cannot focus, you really aren’t going to retain very much of what you are studying, and this perpetuates burnout. Sometimes not studying can stress people out even more than studying and not being focused. But you just have to remember that it really is not about the time you spend studying, it is about how much you retain. And the trick to retaining more information is studying actively. If you are not studying actively, take a break. Then get back to studying. If you are still tired or just can’t focus, take the morning or afternoon (or entire day!) off. It might seem counter-intuitive if you have a big test coming up, but trust me, it helps. If you need some jump-starters to get yourself away from the books, here are some recs! Some ‘quick’ study breaks 10 minutes of yoga/meditation Play with your dog Take a walk DANCE (seriously…don’t just listen to music, actually dance and get your blood flowing) Coffee break! (Basically, just try to get your eyes off the screen) Some ‘longer’ study breaks Go on a hike Exercise (take a fun class, or go on a run!) Get your nails done Go grocery shopping (this was oddly SO therapeutic for me 1st and 2nd year) Play a game, bike, or take an hour to do something you love Source
