So I went on a bit of a hiatus as I had a million assignments thrown at me left right and centre including the most dreaded one, Dissertation! *Dun Dun Dun*
But since we're in exam season, I thought I would do a bit of a different post sharing my trial and errors regarding exam prep and how to stay sane while doing so. Exam season is a bit of a daunting one and if you're anything like me, you most likely panic at the smallest thing during this particular time and rightly so, so if you want to read how I stay (try to) sane during the last few weeks before exams then continue reading!
Plan!
This one might be an obvious one, however even if you're not someone who likes to plan or stick to plans, still plan! (Plan Counter: 4)
It is so important to make sure your mind is not cluttered with millions of thoughts including trying to figure out which topics to cover on which particular day, it saves you SO much time. It especially helps me calculate how much time I have left and how I can then divide the time accordingly to cover as much content as possible. It also allows you to incorporate exam practice into your schedule as you go along, it's highly important!
What the coming week for me (hopefully) looks like:
Having said that, please don't panic if you're not able to tick through everything on your to-do list for the day. I can not tell you how many times I've had to put a cross next to a lecture I was suppose to cover, or paragraph I had to write because let's face it, sometimes life gets in the way and you just have to watch that one or ten episodes Grey's anatomy.
Keep a margin, choose a few tasks that you must get done before you go to sleep, and margin out what you'd like to get done to get ahead for the day so that if you've not been distracted by the endless episodes of whatever show you must watch (Sarcasm intended) then you can go to bed with a content feeling of doing more than you had planned and gotten ahead of yourself.
Move Around!
If you're not able to get to the gym every day, it's ok! Try to incorporate some movement every 1-2 hours, do a little dance, do some stretches, clean your room, move around a little. If you revise/work on your laptop/computer make sure to do some eye exercises every 45 minutes to an hour and maybe even shut them for 5-10 minutes, it greatly helps to recharge them while also preventing too much damage.
Clear workspace!
I can not stress enough how important it is to work in a clean and decluttered environment. Even if you're not a clean freak, do clear your workspace especially.
Ensure there is enough light and air in the room you study in!
If you study at the library, do so in the quiet area and if you study at home, do not study on your bed if you can! Being able to study productively on the bed is a myth.
Stay Hydrated!
This is an obvious one, but a highly important one that I myself sometimes struggle with. Choose a bottle size you are comfortable with, if you can't get through 1 liter of water every hour don't be disheartened, everybody is different. Try and refill the bottle every 2 hours so you can get through a couple during the day especially if you choose to go for a relatively smaller sized water bottle. Also, invest in a cute bottle, that is sometimes the motivation we need!
Fuel!
Make sure you eat a good meal before you sit down to revise, make it be healthy but also filling. Do not work while you eat, rather use this time to focus your mind on your plans for the day! Also do not indulge in distractions (social media, Netflix etc.) while you eat, because believe me once you start you will only find excuses to carry on.
Distractions!
Again, an obvious one yet we are all guilty of this including myself. If you feel you are not able to resist the temptation then use precautions.
Hand your phone to someone in your house who will make sure you won't be distracted
Use apps to lock your social media accounts for a certain amount of time (I am still on a hunt for a good social media blocking app so all recommendations are welcome.) One that has come to my attention is the Forest app, which plants trees while you work. A cute initiative and keeps you away from your phone until your tree is planted.
So there they are, my fair share of trials and errors. Most of these I am trying still trying to implement every day myself
I hope this read was somewhat helpful and happy studying! :D
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