Attending the Thursday virtual study session was a great reminder during the semifinals period that school was not over. Fortunately, this semester, I had no semifinals to study for or projects to finish, so the week off from classes felt like a great break. However, because I also happened to move out of campus at the start of that week, being back home felt like the semester was finally over. While I enjoyed being home, catching up with my family, and overall resting, I felt very lazy and unmotivated to complete any work. Therefore, attending the study session forced me to get back into the study-mode and plan ahead for the rest of my semester.
Additionally, it was interesting trying out the Pomodoro (20 minutes work, 5-minute break) study technique. Since my freshman year, I’ve been fairly consistent with my study techniques and planning methods. This usually consisted of working for hours straight until I felt unproductive and took 20-30 minutes to take a nap or browse social media. I realized sitting for so long is not beneficial, so I’ve actually changed up my study methods quite a lot this semester, and the study session allowed me to try something new as well. I haven’t tested out the Pomodoro technique since the session, but I will definitely be trying it out again!
I have had several Zoom study nights with my friends this semester and, despite all the distractions, I have found them to be extremely helpful. I am also constantly in the search for the best study method or the one that is most effective for me. After reading your reflection, I will definitely be trying out the Pomodoro method.
The Pomodoro technique sounds really interesting! I’ll be sure to try it while studying for finals this week. Sometimes I struggle with keeping focus since everything is online and I take class from home. I’ve never tried a virtual study session before because I assumed there would be too many distractions, but your post makes me want to try one with my friends!