Alas, finals week is nearing. How is it that this week comes the same time every year yet still manages to sneak up on us unsuspecting students? I mean, wasn’t syllabus day just last week?

The truth is whether we like it or not, finals week is upon us, which means the majority of us are bogged down by final papers, projects and exams. Luckily, Pinterest has a plethora of pins dedicated to providing students with great finals week tips.

Here are ten of those tips that can help you survive this week:

1. Divide and conquer

Start your week by making a list of what you need to do. Make sure you’re checking your class schedules and syllabi to see that there isn’t an assignment that you’ve put off or forgotten and to see that your professor hasn’t made any schedule changes. Use your list to plan when and for how long you’re going to work on a given task. Set a specific day and time period for each item on your list to prevent the urge to procrastinate.

2. Prioritize

Decide what on your list needs to be done right away. This can be based on due date or by how long the given task will take. What I like to do is write down everything I have to do and then number each one by when it’s due.

3. Set goals

Set goals for what you want to get done and when you want to get it done. Make sure your goals are manageable but will challenge you to get your tasks completed in a reasonable amount of time.

4. Take study breaks

After you’ve reached those goals, be sure to take a study break. The length of your break might depend on how long you’ve been working; maybe take a short nap, go meet up with a friend for coffee or just scroll through your Twitter feed for ten minutes.

5. Mix up study environments

If working in your room isn’t working for you anymore, try some new places around campus or the Fargo area. There are a ton of quiet work spaces in the Union and Library and a variety of different study spaces for group and individual work at ACE Tutoring. Of course, you could always work at a coffee shop or cafe nearby — TeaBerry in downtown Fargo is a personal favorite of mine.

6. Have healthy snacks and drinks on hand

I don’t know about you, but I have the awful habit of snacking while I work. It’s not a great feeling to finish a paper and to also realize that you’ve finished a bag of potato chips, too. To prevent the munchie guilt, make sure you have some healthy snacks and water on hand as you work.

7. Review thoroughly

To do well on your exams, make sure you aren’t just skimming your notes — read through them thoroughly and maybe even make some notes as you go. Also, take advantage of any old tests, quizzes and assignments.

8. Make use of professors, peers and tutors

As you read through your class materials, make sure you understand everything. If you do not, contact a professor, classmate or tutor that can help talk you through it. Fully understanding the material is going to help you remember it.

9. Eliminate distractions

If Netflix, online shopping or social media sites are too tempting for you, limit your cell phone and Internet access while studying. You can use those outlets as rewards when you’ve completed a given task. This way, they can be motivating rather than distracting.

10. Sleep

Though preparing for finals week can be stressful and may keep you up at night, be sure to get a good amount of sleep. You would be surprised at how much more productive you can be when you are well rested.