Sadly the Christmas holidays have come to an end, bringing for most of us the inevitable exam period. For those lucky few that have no exams in January, this is a period of enviable relaxation as they watch their housemates struggle through the stress. This is always going to be a rubbish return to reality as Christmas and New Year are well and truly over but hopefully, with the help of some of these tips, this season needn’t be quite so horrendous.
1 – Get outside
Staying cooped up indoors trying to power through work day after day can be disgustingly suffocating. Of course, in the current climate, no one wants to spend a great deal of time outside but if you can, a short run in the fresh air can really help to clear your head and also breaks up the day. Furthermore, it has been proven that exercise increases self-confidence and lowers the symptoms associated with anxiety. It also improves sleep, which is often disrupted by stress and anxiety during exams.
2 – Give yourself regular breaks
Another proven fact is that working for every one of the 672 hours that the Christmas holidays bring is not the optimum way of revising. The first 15 minutes of revision are considered to be the period in which your brain is at its most efficient so make sure you that you stop for a couple of minutes every 30 minutes or so. Get up, move around, get a drink (it’s crucial to stay hydrated!) and relax a bit before settling down into the next half hour. If you’re working with a group or in a house of other working people, try to co-ordinate your breaks so that you can truly have 5 minutes away from work. Why not also stock up on some communal treats to share at coffee time? Managing your time this way will almost certainly yield better results.
3 – Make sure that you’re in an organised working environment
Living in mess will be directly reflected in the work that you do. Make sure that you have a quiet, uncluttered work zone. If you haven’t got a regular space then try to create one. For me, despite the fact that I have a desk in my bedroom, my ‘work space’ is in my dining room where I’m able to spread everything out across the table without losing track of it all. It also means that, as opposed to a stale pile of work, I am able to select exactly what I need at the start of the day and lay it out so I know where everything is. Then at the end of the working day, I can pack it all up and return it upstairs, concluding revision and allowing me to settle into the evening.
4 – Stationary
This sounds silly but investing in decent stationary and revision tools can make you far more motivated when it comes to sitting down and getting on with it. Writing endless notes works for some of us but for the majority (of my friends at least), note writing alone is not enough. Colour coding and use of post it notes etc. helps a lot, as the information is broken down into workable and digestible chunks. It also gives you the sense of organisation and generally makes you feel more on top of it all, whilst making your notes look beautiful.
5 – STOP AT THE END OF THE DAY
Working late into the night benefits no one. It is recommended that we have at least 8 hours of sleep a night, which during revision season is particularly crucial. It is far more important to be awake and alert during the day so in fact, staying up late into the night is pretty detrimental to all of your hard work. If you’re someone who gets particularly anxious around exam time and struggles to get to sleep (and so decides to use this time to stay up and revise more) then instead, try to use this time to read through your notes. Although try not to have pages and pages of bedtime reading. To read through a topic is acceptable, but try not to obsess at bedtime (I accept that this can be easier said than done!). Setting your alarm for a decent hour in the morning should help you get to sleep by resetting your body clock to revision mode.
So there you have it, just a small selection of revision tips to help you get through January. Don’t forget to keep in mind that they will be over soon and good luck
Image sources:
http://www.digsdigs.com/minimalist-working-desks-from-pianca/
http://www.paperchase.co.uk/desk-accessories/post-it-notes/invt/00281218/