1. Buy a diary- Seriously, I have no idea how people live without them. Everything I have to do goes into mine. I have a day-a-page diary that I pretty much take everywhere with me and a week-a-page diary that sits on my desk.
The black diary is my day-a-page one and the blue one is my week-a-page diary. I'd say I use the black one more, purely because it's with me constantly.
2. Colour-coordinate your schedule- Having a diary is one thing but using it properly is the best way to get the best out of it.
This is a page from my black diary. I use pink for lectures, green for seminars and tutorials, red for reading and work that needs to be done and black for anything else. At the start of the semester, I get all of my module handbooks printed off for uni and read them thoroughly to see where I need to be on what day and what I need to read to be prepared. As you can see here, I have this Friday morning free. I try to get work done in times like this so I have nights free for family/dates/friends.
This is a photo from my blue diary. It's less detailed than my black one but still includes lectures and tutorials as well as the rugby fixtures for the week. Because rugby is an important thing in my life, I highlight which games are on TV as well as all Hull FC and South Sydney games. I try to fit my plans around these as I try to watch as many games as I can.
3. Breaks are important- I try to do all of my uni work during weekdays so I can spend my nights with my boyfriend. Obviously it doesn't always go to plan but I try to see him at least once during the week and once at weekends. Also, because I work all day Saturday and Sunday now, the last thing I want to do on a weekend night is come home and do work. It's crucial that I do my work during the week but if needs be, I use Sunday nights to catch up. Having a social life is vital. I've been studying so hard in the past couple of months that I've barely had time to see anyone. Thank god the semester ends soon or else I'd be going insane. Now I'm starting to realise that I need to have some free time. Whether I use this time to catch up with friends, go to my boyfriend's house, watch TV or blog, it doesn't matter. It means I can just relax for a bit without thinking about everything I have to do.
4. Don't try to do too much at once- I'm a hypocrite here because I always take on more than I can handle. Then I end up getting stressed and doing nothing. However, especially when studying, make sure you don't set your sights too high. There's no chance that you'll read a full textbook in a day. Read a chapter, take a break. That's how I do it. A break can be anything from grabbing something to eat, going for a walk, ringing my boyfriend, doing some yoga, literally anything. But don't take too long or you'll never go back to it. The other way I do it is say I'm going to revise for two hours and don't take a break. Sometimes if my schedule is so packed, I have to work this way. If I've got a whole free day, I'll use the first way I suggested. Something I've just found that might help me this exam season is this weekly planner from Paperchase.
I plan to write which topics I need to cover and their relevant chapters. Granted, this won't work for everyone but it does for me. Plus the pad looks super cute!
5. Don't forget to eat and drink- I always have a bottle of water with me anyway but it's so important to keep hydrated when studying. I often have a bowl of crisps or sweets on my desk too but I do try to cut back on them. Because I don't eat healthily at all, I'm just trying to cut back on junk food!
6. Make sure you do revise- Easier said than done. Even when you're sat at your desk, it's easy to get distracted by computers and phones. I prefer to read textbooks for revision rather than use my laptop so I never have that issue. I do always have my phone by my side so that is more difficult. When I'm seriously revising, I leave my phone downstairs and revise upstairs. This worked last year so I plan on doing that again. If you can't bear to part with your beloved technology, set yourself a goal. For example, revise for 50 minutes, have a social media break for 10. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is so supportive despite him not being in uni. When I'm studying, he'll stop texting me and just tell me to text him when I'm on a break or finished.
7. Don't leave everything until the last minute- This tip is for every student out there. How people can still be manically revising the day before an exam, I have no idea. I start my revision at least a month early (I don't have an exam until the 20th May but I started my revision at the start of April). I know it works for some people but not for me. The day before an exam, I just read all of my notes again. If it's not in my brain by then, I doubt it will stay in after that point.
At the end of the day, you choose the best strategy for you. These are just some tips that I've learnt over the past few years through college and university that work for me. What are your tips for revising and staying organised?
No comments:
Post a Comment