Dead week’s upon us, friends, and you know what that means: a lot of cramming and crying. Don’t fret — your pals at the Daily Clog have some tips for how to maximize your studying and minimize your sadness. Here are seven things you can incorporate into your study sessions to make them a little less painful.

A buttload of candy

You’ve probably seen the hack where you eat a piece of candy for every section of a textbook you read, but imagine taking that and multiplying it tenfold. Instead of every section, treat yourself to a piece for every word you read. We realize that this adds up to a lot of candy and a lot of damage to your bank account, so we recommend using individual Skittles or M&M’s. If your pancreas can survive the week, you can survive until break.

Make a fort

Now’s the time to unleash your reclusive tendencies! Use every scrap of cloth at your disposal to assemble a crude hideout around your study area. If the people in the library are actually studying, they won’t care about the breathing pile of dirty laundry in their vicinity. This fort is the only way to ensure zero distractions from others.

Play “Shrek” in the background

That Scottish accent is too lovable to not play. For many, having a little bit of background noise is calming. Let’s not forget the banging soundtrack that comes with “Shrek.” How many times will you put this study playlist on repeat?

Put a giant portrait of Pennywise on your bed

Sleep? Forget it. Pain is temporary; your GPA is forever. Pennywise lives in your bed now. Who knows, maybe he’s under your bed! If you associate sleep with the horrors of Pennywise, you’ll never need sleep again. In other words, you will be UNSTOPPABLE. Trust us, this’ll help prevent that 30-minute nap from becoming a four-hour snoozefest.

Have your non-STEM friends visit you

Give them an excuse to intermittently keep you company as you try to figure out what the heck your physics professor was talking about in lecture (just make sure you apologize for the stench emanating from your fort). They probably want to procrastinate too, especially on the three essays they have due as their finals, so don’t feel bad about taking some of their time. Remember, social interaction is important.

Make a master list of where all the free food is

The last thing you want to worry about during dead week is feeding yourself. Candy will probably only last a couple of hours and you’ll be tired of lying to your mom about eating well. Instead, make a list of which clubs are having events with free food during dead week. Chances are, you’ll end up finding more opportunities than you’ll need. Make sure you don’t flake out in the middle of a meeting after getting food. That’s messed up. Use this time to take a break or go through your flashcards.

Make plans with your friends back home

Not all is lost if your motivation to get that 4.0 semester died after the second round of midterms. There’s still a tomorrow (winter break). Make plans with your friends back home for when you go to visit during winter break. You’ll have new motivation to study your hardest and make all the stress worth it! The present won’t seem as treacherous and time will start to move much faster during the week.

Alright Bears, you’re ready. You’ve prepared all semester for this, whether by saving all your energy to study 24/7 now or spreading out your studying in manageable chunks like a good egg. We hope these tips will be of use and possibly inspire you to crack open your textbook.