How to: Get back into it

With the time away from university work slowly running out, it can feel really difficult to try and get back into the swing of things – especially after such a festive, fun-filled time! All we really want to do is keep on eating good food, surrounding ourselves with good company and watching any odd thing that comes on the television – the last thing any of us really wants to think about is a looming deadline or the piles of books that need to be read in a week’s time.

For those of you who, like me, have been so unfortunate this time around to have some first-week deadlines, the countdown to university restarting might just be filling you with dread. But never fear! For there are many ways for us to combat our static nature and get back into the academic groove.

Creating schedules and approaching the work that we need to do in smaller sections makes the whole process seem much less overwhelming for our brains. In doing so, we make the transition back into our student selves much smoother

Some people can easily plug themselves back into their university student lifestyle, seamlessly going from vacation mode to hard-working student in seconds. But some of us need a bit more assistance when it comes to bridging that gap again. No matter how many times you’ve done it, it never seems to get easier – the time just falls away from you and, next thing you know, it’s suddenly the weekend before term starts, and you’re back unpacking in your room again. One of the first ways to combat this is obviously to just never leave the so-called ‘grind-set’ over the break. Whilst not the most enjoyable method, it’s certainly effective (and sometimes necessary, condolences to all finalists who had multiple deadlines over the break). But there are many other ways to help us get back into the academic mindset, ones that will allow us to have that much-needed break this winter!

Everyone will find it different when they’re getting back into the swing of things, and the important thing is to find what helps you most. Maybe you need to create a schedule for that last week of the holiday, setting aside some dedicated time for preparatory reading, revision or assignment work. Having specific time slots that are set aside for academic work can help motivate you to tackle the work. In a similar vein, breaking down the work that you have into more manageable bits makes the transition all the easier – if you have an assignment, don’t try to do it all in one go. Instead, think about how you can set aside an hour or so to do specific research, and if you have revision or preparatory work to do, set aside a certain amount of time for one module rather than an entire day for everything. Creating schedules and approaching the work that we need to do in smaller sections makes the whole process seem much less overwhelming for our brains. In doing so, we make the transition back into our student selves much smoother.

Choose the easiest or shortest reading, choose the thing that seems the most interesting (try and hook yourself back in, you chose your degree for a reason!)

If you’re still struggling to find the motivation, reach out to your friends! Whether they’re university friends or home friends, there will be someone else that you can talk to who is struggling through the same situation of getting back on the academic bandwagon. Arrange a study session with them, whether virtually or in-person, and you may find that the art of body-doubling and having the presence of someone else will help you knuckle down on those readings you’ve been procrastinating. Sometimes it is the pressure of someone else that tricks our brains into gear, helping us move into the right mindset that we need for our work. Sometimes it might not even be the pressure, but just the company, and knowing that someone else is back to the boring work, too!

A final piece of advice is to just force the motivation into yourself – it sounds stupid, but it can work – sit yourself down, with or without a schedule and open up your laptop. Put on your study playlist, your white noise, your noise-cancelling headphones, and just look at your work. Choose the easiest or shortest reading, choose the thing that seems the most interesting (try and hook yourself back in, you chose your degree for a reason!), or just start making notes until you feel like you’re back to your usual university self.

All in all, there is no right or specific way to get back into the swing of things. Just give yourself the time and space that you need to do it, and don’t feel down if it’s tough; it will be! It’s just like dragging yourself out of a cosy bed on a cold morning, but soon enough, you’ll be back to that Warwick lifestyle, and it’ll be like you never left – in a good way, I promise!