With finals creeping up, I find I have an abundance of work. Actually, I have more work to do in the next week and a half than I have had during finals for my entire college career.
I can feel a sense of staleness creeping into my schooldays. I’ve become restless in my classes, unable to sit still and focus on the lectures.
Im sure part of this is due to the nice weather. Sitting inside when it’s a beautiful day outside is such a bore.
Today, I have been focusing on writing a research paper for my New York government class. It’s about the opioid epidemic in New York State and explores the links that mental health has to substance abuse.
Getting started on writing it this morning was rough. It can be easy to fall into procrastinating work and push it off until the last minute. I have always found that listening to music helps me to relax and focus on the task at hand.
In fact, studies have shown that specific types of music can help to boost concentration and memory. Studying with music has also been found to increase alertness.
Classical music or music without lyrics has been found to be most effective when studying. Also, music with a repetitive pulse is found to increase the effects of studying.
My favorite type of study music is instrumental Grateful Dead songs. The sounds of Drums, Space, and Spanish Jam help me to get into the zone of studying. I find I get too distracted by the words when there are lyrics so for me, jams are the way to go.
Sitting down and opening my laptop can be so hard sometimes but putting on my headphones and drowning in the sounds of the Grateful Dead definitely makes it easier.