Help! I want to move forward with my class, but the vibes are all wrong.
Luckily, there are things you can do to move forward even when you can't summon tons of motivation or energy. These low lift activities are small wins. Sometimes, they're enough on their own to get us jump started. Completing a small task sometimes helps us gain momentum to tackle something bigger. But sometimes all we can manage is to put something small in order. That's okay too.
I've compiled a list of tasks that you can do when you're just not feeling it. These are activities that generally need less effort than a focused study session. That being said, easy and difficult are subjective. If you see one of these tasks and it fills you with dread, it's likely not the best choice for you. And that's 100 percent okay.
Be A Friend To Your Future Self
I first encountered the phrase "be a friend to your future self" over at the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. The play is to ask yourself, "What could I do right now that would be good for my future self?" We can often identify things that will annoy, frustrate, or confuse our future selves. Then, you can literally change the future by solving those problems now.
There are a ton of low lift things you can do now that can help make your future self calmer and happier. Many problems snowball if we ignore them. So it is often the case that doing a small thing now prevents a big problem later. Your future self will thank you!
Clean and Organize Physical Spaces
Thermodynamics being what it is, everything gets messier over time. It's very human, and very common, to have a messy folder, locker, backpack, room, or desk. These are all places that attract extra stuff. No shame.
But that mess can create obstacles to succeeding in your AP class. First, the more things we have out of order, the harder it is to find what we need.
It's easier to find the things you need if you regularly sort and organize your space. There's just less stuff to go through. Your future self won't postpone studying because you can't find your lecture notes.
Clutter can be mentally draining. This study found that many people cannot ignore items around them. When participants could not ignore objects, clutter reduced their working memory. It's difficult to focus on reading or studying without working memory.
Plus, if your space looks nice it's more inviting then you'll want to spend more time there.
Often, there are things we can remove from our space without much effort. This includes trash, dishes, library books, papers from old classes, and so on. A low-lift activity can be moving these items to the trash, or to a place where they belong. A library book goes into your backpack so you can return it. Dishes can go in the dishwasher. Trash can go in the garbage.
Some people find that trying to move things around becomes distracting. This may be you if you've ever picked something up and then gotten stuck trying to figure out where it goes. (Or distracted on the way to or from that place.) In this case, you can invert the process. Decide on a destination, and then take everything that should be there to this spot. For example, you might grab the recycling bin and toss a bunch of papers into it. This cuts out some of the decision making.
This is also a prime time to organize your space. You may find paper smashed into the bottom of your backpack. Or you took notes for one class in two different spots. Put like things together in a place where your future self will know where they are. Don't rely on your brain to remember that you have one day's worth of history notes in your science folder. Move those to your history folder so your future self can use them to study.
Clean and Organize Digital Spaces
Just like physical spaces, digital spaces also need a little tender loving care. The downloads folder on your computer and Google Drives are common stress points. The second one can be particularly rough if your school uses Google Classroom.
Again, look for easy wins.
- Multiple copies of the same assignment.
- Files from middle school that aren't important anymore. You can let these things go.
- Information about events that have already happened. The Fall Formal invite doesn't need to live in your Google Drive in January.
- Blank documents? Trash!
As you work through your files, you can also sort things into folders. Giving assignments clear names also makes it easier to find them later. For example, you may wish to include a brief description of the assignment and the class it's for. Nothing is more frustrating that knowing your teacher gave you a study guide, but being unable to find it. If the name of that guide is "AP US History - Final Exam Study Guide" it's easier to search for later. Your future self will thank you.
Remember that you do not need to do everything at once. Deleted 10 random things? Great! That's a win. It's okay to tidy up part of something.
Another thing to take a look at is notifications. It can be stressful and distracting to get a notification for every minor assignment and grade update. If you're in multiple classes, it can amount to dozens of pings that happen all the time. You can off all or some of these notifications.
Consider your personal app settings as well. Digital clutter also drains our mental resources and stresses us out.
Update Your Calendar
Many AP students are in several activities, sports, and clubs. On top of that, you have to track of the due dates and test dates for multiple classes. Plus, there are personal commitments, like meeting a friend for lunch.
Calendars and planner can ease the stress of tracking these things. Writing information down frees us from the burden of remembering it. It also gives us one place to take stock of our day and plan.
This is important for a few reasons.
- Writing information down is more reliable that our memories. It's easy to forget events. Even if you think you should be able to remember, write it down.
- If it's not written down, your brain may decide you need to a reminder at random times of the day. This process of forgetting, remembering, and then worry about forgetting is incredibly draining. If you write it down, you can disregard all the random pings.
Writing it down lets you see the big picture. If you rely on memory, you use your brain power to recall information. That can make it hard to plan. You may not realize that you an away game before your big final until it's too late to adjust.
Important dates don't live in your memory! That space is for more important things, like differences between the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. ;)
If you have dates that aren't on your calendar, now is a great time to add them.
New sports schedule? Check.
Final exam schedule released? Add it!
You can also update any events that have changed.
Your future self will be way stressed if you clean up your calendar.
Free Up Time
Sometimes, all your future self needs is time. Time to study. Time to sleep. Time to write an essay. Time to find primary sources.
All of these tips can be boiled down to making better use of time. If your space is clean, you won't waste time looking for things. If your calendar is up-to-date, it's easier to decide what to study first. If you do things now, you give your brain time and mental space to focus on AP later.
The other way you can free up time is by doing things for other classes early. It may be that you don't have energy to take notes from your textbook. But you may have energy to review your Spanish flashcards. Or, perhaps the book you're reading in English is pretty straightforward. Sometimes, shuffling things makes life easier.
I admit, doing other work work requires more effort. But sometimes we're not in the mood to do one thing, but another thing would be fine. If that work is legitimately easier, then getting it done in advance is going to be great for your future self.
The trick here is to be intentional and strategic. We're not trying to procrastinate or avoid hard things. We're trying to give our self space and time to focus on difficult things so that we can do them to the best of our ability.
Be A Friend To Your Current Self
Take Care of Your Physical Health
It is difficult to be at your best if you're not taking care of your physical body. One of the jobs our brains do is try to keep us safe from harm. It spends a lot of time and energy keeping track of your body. If it senses something is wrong, your whole self works to correct the problem.
That makes it very difficult do work towards more abstract or long-term goals.
Earlier, we thought about our future selves. But your current self also needs a friend. If you're feeling a little off, it's time to check in.
- Have you eaten recently?
- Are you dehydrated?
- Have you exercised?
- Are you getting enough sleep?
- Are you injured or ill? Do you need rest?
Be kind to your body and brain, so that it can return the favor later.
Manage Stress
Sometimes simple tasks can help manage and relieve stress. This is not a substitute for professional mental health care. These tips may not be appropriate for intense, overwhelming stress. (You can get 24/7 support by calling or texting 988).
But lots of stress doesn't fall into either of those categories. A quick reset can help us move forward. Here are some lower-lift stress busters:
- Spend time outdoors.
- Exercise, including walking and sports.
- Socializing with friends and family can relieve stress.
- Exploring hobbies and interests.
- Writing in a journal.
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You may also like these articles on study skills.
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