We all go into term time with the best of intentions. Our calendars full of deadlines, society meetings and promise, we tell ourselves that this time we will strike the balance between work and impulsive sidequests. Lo and behold, Week Five rolls in and we have zero motivation for anything; five minutes of reading makes our eyes glaze over with the sheer exhaustion of it all. Fear not! Here’s an antidote to this age-old problem: a collection of absurd yet effective ways to startle yourself back into work mode, even when the tank is empty.

Revise from new heights

Ever thought: ‘the UL is nice, but I’d rather be on a plane?’ Think no further. A friend of mine uses this website called focus flight, which simulates a flight for the duration of your lock-in session. It’s simple: set a timer for however long you want to work, and your laptop screen will fly anywhere you want. After testing this method I have to say that the ‘sound’ option is a bit too realistic, I did not need to hear someone rummaging through the seat pocket to retrieve an earring.

“Spend your morning at the Marshall, midday at the AMES Library, afternoon at Hot Numbers and finish back at base”

Library-hopping

I know what you’re thinking. Not another pathetic attempt to ruin a perfectly good drinking game! But hear me out: studying can be so boring – staying at the same spot for hours on end, in a staring contest with an introductory paragraph (spoiler alert: instagram always wins) can feel like spiralling into the depths of a Dantean purgatory, beautiful as your college library may be. To bring back the spark you might have once felt for your degree, why not spend your morning at the Marshall, midday at the AMES Library, afternoon at Hot Numbers and finish back at base? This is also a great way to discover a new college; I know friends who have come to love a college they had a sworn hatred for using this method (rhymes with ‘ain’t swans’). Either way, I highly recommend this to get out of your rut: engineer a plan, invite some friends and make a trip out of it.

Become one with nature

Be warned: I am not talking about the fresher tradition of occupying a green space with your friend group and using your laptop as a buffer when the conversation runs dry. Instead, try using nature to your advantage. Lots of people feel soothed by plants, so it might be a good idea to choose a library that looks out onto some trees (can you tell I'm biased towards the AMES library?), or, if you suffer from seasonal depression, choose a spot in direct sunlight. Watch out though, sometimes being one with nature can bite!

Treetop revision 

If you love nature, why not go all the way? Be warned though – this method is perfect for flashcards, but more of a challenge for essay subjects unless you find a particularly stable branch to perch upon.

Two-in-one

“Instead of pretending to fly, why not pretend to be at the gym?”

This is for the gym rats out there. Instead of pretending to fly, why not pretend to be at the gym? Use a pomodoro timer to space out your revision into 50 minutes of work and five minutes of exercise. A friend of mine uses her breaks to do 20 handstand press-ups (I hope I never get drunk enough to challenge her to an arm-wrestle). However, if like me, this sounds far worse than just studying, perhaps try a lighter form of exercise: take a brisk walk, or, if you’re feeling brave, do some star jumps! Neuroscience research has shown that moving in between tasks can recharge your concentration after blocks of solid focus.

At the end of the day, nothing can replace the lock-in sessions instilled by sheer panic, but I am confident, dear reader, that this will kick in at some point, even for the most scatterbrained of you. In the meantime, this is a great way to ease your way into that level of concentration and perhaps touch some grass at the same time.