Distractions during finals

By Kylie Lenninger

In an anonymous Skyhawk Views survey, students report distractions can be both good and bad, and describe how they manage their schedules around finals. 

Half of the survey respondents say that managing their time during finals is somewhat difficult. A majority of the students say they try to minimize distractions, while others purposely fill their day with activities to help manage their stress.

A survey respondent goes on to say they plan good distractions to help manage their stress, “I try to fit in time that has nothing to do with studying! Hiking, movies, reading a new book, having lunch with friends, and taking time out to pray. Praying calms me and helps to recenter my focus on what's worth my stress. (Which is not much theses days because MOST of the time stress serves me no purpose).”

Of course, when trying to focus, being around things that can distract you isn’t helpful. Most of the survey respondents state that being at home and in loud areas, or around loud noises, is a main factor in bad distractions among students.

A respondent, “I minimize any distractions by providing myself with a calming environment, choosing a place that has no people near me, silencing my devices from notifications, and wearing noise-canceling headphones.”

Going along with finding a calming environment, one student utilizes Sauk resources, “I spend a lot of time on campus even when I don't have class, because being at home is probably one of my biggest distractions. There is always someone taking my attention away from my work.”

Another student says they “Sit in the learning commons” to avoid at-home distractions. 

Some students even go on to say that they set timers to help minimize any distractions to help them study and manage their time. 

One respondent, “I set timers a lot. I usually set a timer for 1.5hrs and then I focus solely on studying. When the timer goes off I take a 20-30 min break and then I reset the timer.”

Out of all the responses, every student implies they seek calming areas and calming activities to manage their schedules and stress around finals.