The clock is ticking, the calendar is counting down the days. Six weeks to go, five weeks to go, four weeks to go before your exams start. When are you going to start revising? Tomorrow! At the weekend! Next week! Before you know it, your exams are starting tomorrow. It is never too late to start. Stop procrastinating and start revising instead of worrying about revising and exams getting closer and closer and start your revision today.
Stop procrastinating and start revising!
- Make a plan for the next day – This can either be in the form of a list or a timetable. Do it the night before rather than on the day itself so you know exactly what you are going to be starting with.
- Keep it realistic and do-able – If you prefer to get up late don’t have it starting at 7am because it will be doomed to fail from the start. Build up the hours slowly so you don’t go from 0 – 100 in one day because you want it to be successful.
- Know what your distractions are going to be – For many of us it is our phone or it could be the Xbox or a girlfriend or boyfriend. Keep the phone, chatting to your friends or even walking the dog to breaks or other set times.
- Build in rewards – Talking to your friends or playing on the Xbox can be a reward so reward your revision time with your distractions so they don’t rule you but the other way round.
- A long-term plan and a short-term plan – Know what the purpose of the revision is. A long-term plan will help you to see what you have to cover over the next few weeks/months until the exam whereas a short-term plan will focus in on set tasks, content that you need to cover in a particular session.
- Be task driven rather than time driven – If you give yourself one hour to complete a task it will probably take one hour. If you give yourself three hours to complete a task, it will probably take three hours. It might also take you twenty minutes and then you can either have a break or complete another task.
- Have snacks and a drink on hand – Keep something to snack on or graze on close by and either a hot or cold drink. Healthy food and drink like fruit, nuts and water can help to focus your mind.
- Tell your family and friends – when you will be revising so they know to support you rather than disturb you. If you have a timetable put a copy up where other people can see it like the fridge. This way, they know what you will be studying each day and can ask you about it.
- Stick to a routine – We all like a routine and having the same routine each day will help you to stick to it. Also, allow it to be flexible. There are times when you won’t be able to stick to it but know that you can work around any unforeseen events or changes to your plans.
- Collaborate with a friend or friends – Studying can be isolating so creating revision time with a friend or group of friends using Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Zoom can be very effective and keep you on task. Ensure they are friends with whom you feel comfortable discussing work with and who won’t distract you. This worked brilliantly for motivating many students during lockdown.
- Music – background noise or peace and quiet? – We are all different. Some people find they can focus better if there is music playing or even the radio on. Others would find this very distracting and prefer peace and quiet. Know which works for you and create the working environment that suits you best.
- Focusing phone apps – For some students, their phone can be too much of a distraction that they use a phone app to stay off their phone. This can seem like a contradiction but they can be very effective. If you are one of these people who need an extra motivation to focus and stay off your phone, try one of these. https://flora.appfinca.com/en/ is a very popular one.
Here at www.studentnavigator.co.uk we provide academic mentoring and coaching to students sitting their GCSEs and A levels both privately and in schools. If you would like to speak to us about any of the programmes we offer, please contact us to see how we can support you.