If you’re reading this, it means you made it past Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season – a time when so many individuals begin feeling stressed and overwhelmed. The fact that many of you have finals week to look forward to doesn’t necessarily help, either. That’s where we come in! We’re going to explore a few ways to maximize your success both on and off the field – so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

1. Finding Your Rhythm.

Music is useful for improving our moods, zone out, and taking our minds off of the things that are stressing us out. We tend to select music that reflects our mood; however, if we put music on for the mood we want to experience, we can begin to see our mood shift. There’s nothing wrong with listening to classical music while you study or crank out a paper. One of my favorite things to do is jam out to classical pieces used in some of my favorite movies. I find that it makes things more enjoyable, but I also tend to listen to a few songs on repeat when I get into a groove and start entering a flow state. Try it out and see what works for you!

2. Make Your Routine… & Stick to It!

Getting into a daily routine can help us maximize and trick our brains into getting into the habit of getting work done. Whether this involves a routine in which we wake up and go to bed, our time for working out and studying, or just scheduling out our entire days. Personally, I have a daily planner that breaks my day down into 15-minute increments. This way, I know what times I need to leave to be somewhere or any deadlines I might have. I even jot down little reminders to eat and drink during lulls in my day to make sure I’m getting the right amount of nutrients.

You’d be amazed at the number of athletes who either forget to drink enough water before/after tasking activity or just drink things that don’t do anything beneficial for their bodies. When we take part in any kind of strenuous physical activity, we need a lot more water to produce sweat and spark other chemical reactions in order to maintain strength, agility, but above all else, a clear mind. This is why I always kept my water jug close by when taking exams or working on papers. Try and drink several liters of water every day!

There will always be the protein bars and protein powders you have in your kitchen cupboards, but nothing beats whole foods, and I’m not plugging the store. Those protein shakes are great, but they’re still supplements and should be used the right way. This means supplementing them with nutrient-rich foods. Ditch the processed junk and invest in yourself! Something which will be a little challenging at first is learning new recipes. As an athlete, we should be learning about what foods will help us recover from physical activity to achieve our goals, so it’s also important that we know which foods will help our brains function properly. Kevin Barton, M.S.Ed, wrote another great blog that explores different foods that help power our brains. I highly suggest checking it out as well.

Isn’t it ironic that our bodies need rest if we want to generate all the power needed to go all out during competition? Like sleep, rest allows us to chill out and decompress when we aren’t under the direct stressors associated with the competition. Allowing ourselves to take advantage of relaxation will help us in the future by letting us practice having more flexibility, focus, and a new perspective. All of those things will allow us to perform more optimally the next time we compete. Relaxing looks different for everyone, but try reading a new book, meditating, going for a walk, or expressing yourself through art or music!

Science is an amazing thing. It’s given us so much, but believe it or not, we’re still learning about sleep. It sounds silly, but it’s true! Inadequate sleep can be extremely detrimental to us in the long run. Our bodies don’t just shut-down while we sleep. Instead, our bodies work on detoxing and repairing tissue damage (spoiler alert – we really need those things to happen as athletes). On top of that, not getting enough sleep regularly makes us all feel sluggish and constantly looking for a fix by drinking copious levels of energy drinks or pre-workout. By making sure our body heals, we are also setting ourselves up for success related to academics. Think about how much more challenging it is to complete an exam or project when injured or even feeling so sore – almost like you got hit by a bus. The last example was a little extreme, but there would be days when we would have a hard practice, and I felt like a semi-truck ran me over. Those days would challenge me to stay focused in class and perform at my best as a student-athlete. It’s a give-and-take relationship, so give yourself the tools for success. Take advantage of your sleep.

3. Work Smarter, Not Harder.

Let’s talk about procrastination. It’s seen as a sort of taboo subject to discuss, despite us often using it as a way to relate to each other. The bottom line is that it can start creeping into other aspects of life if we’re not careful, and it’s a very slippery slope. That exam you’ve been putting off studying for isn’t going away. Your six papers, which you’ve pushed back for the last second, won’t become easier just because now you have a specific amount of time to get your work done. In fact, that right there is one of the most common thought processes behind procrastination. Things don’t become easier for us when we push things back so far that we only have a few hours to complete a task before it’s due. It might seem like you’re giving yourself a little extra boost, but in reality, that’s not the case.

Now, let’s talk about studying for exams. Studying was always challenging for me. I used a bunch of methods while I was an undergraduate, but when I found out about the Pomodoro technique midway through my junior year, I was hooked. I liked it so much because it didn’t require me to remember how to read again (shout out to burnout) after studying Neuropsychology for 3 hours straight. In fact, it’s the complete opposite of my original way of studying. Instead of studying for hours on end, we do something called chunking. This is when you literally break up your studying into little, more manageable chunks! Instead of studying for 3 hours, I was studying for 25 minutes with a 4-minute break. If you complete 4 of those chunking sessions in a row while giving your studies all your attention, the time increases. Now, you’ll be able to study for a longer amount of time, with an equally longer break time. Say goodbye to burnout because this is one of the best ways to combat any fatigue related to studying.

4.Becoming mindful

Connecting our mind and body while being present in the moment is amazing for us. It releases us from anxiety and worry, enabling us to see the world how it is and maximize our productivity. Meditation is a phenomenal way to improve mindfulness and is an activity that I would recommend daily. Focusing on the process of studying or completing a paper is way more beneficial than only thinking about that final letter grade. Thinking about all the things we do to ensure we perform optimally on the field can correlate to how we perform academically. One of my personal favorites is using a personal mantra. This is when we use a word/phrase which allows ourselves to get into the right frame of mind to go to work.

Elizabeth Hyland wrote a great blog highlighting ways mindful practices can improve your level of performance. In it, she discusses this idea of priming yourself to perform optimally. She says, “Your personal mantra should put you in the headspace for peak performance. You want something that embodies you as a player while also providing motivation. ‘Win your warmup’ may give you the confidence you need to perform fearlessly once it’s game time.” This translates into the classroom, where you can say to yourself, “I’m capable of success.” Or “I’ve prepared for this moment.” Both of those things are true! You are a very capable STUDENT-athlete, and you have prepared for your final project/exam(s).

Remember to check in with yourself every so often and make sure everything is running smoothly. If you start noticing a slip in your academic life, reach out. It is in your best interest to let go of any sort of ego that is in your way of asking for help and take advantage of all resources at your disposal. If you’re realizing you feel more tired than usual, maybe it’s time to start going to bed earlier. Think about what it is you consume on a daily basis – things we eat and drink can impact the quality of sleep as well. Notice something wrong with your health? Go to a doctor!

We learn as we go in life, but by constantly learning about ourselves, we can start noticing little cues that can help gauge how we’re doing. Being aware of any little changes in our balance and actually addressing them will help strengthen our chances for success. You control the amount of effort you put in towards setting yourself up for success on and off the field. Don’t fall into the trap of not trying because “everything is going to figure itself out.” Sometimes that mindset turns into a reality check real fast, and it’s one none of us want. Above all else, be confident in your abilities. You’ve been preparing for finals the whole school year – you have the tools for success. Now you just need to embrace the suck and get the job done. So many people would love to be in your position of being a student-athlete, so just remember how fortunate you are. It starts with you; there’s no luck involved – you got this.