Ultimate guide to studying this exam season
With the semester drawing to an end and exams fast approaching, Lucy Bailey has compiled some of her favourite study tips to help you get stuff done and avoid stress.
Put yourself in a productive space
One of the best ways to get ready to do some serious work is to put yourself in a productive space, preferably separated from the space that you use for relaxing (studying in bed always feels like a good idea initially, but invariably you end up in a strange unproductive middle stage where you’re not getting either quality study or quality rest). We recommend the bog standard ‘sitting at your desk with no distractions’, going into public study like a library where you’ll feel a social pressure to focus, or maybe even using one of the university computers where your facebook isn’t automatically logged in.
2. Break down big tasks into small chunks
The hardest part about studying is actually starting, and we tend to put off starting when we feel overwhelmed by the volume of what we need to get done. To manage this, it’s best to break tasks down into small chunks: so for instance, instead of saying you’ll write an essay between Wednesday and Friday, try allocating writing an introduction and plan for Wednesday, writing body paragraphs on Thursday, then doing references and editing on Friday. When we break tasks down, the smaller the better, they become more approachable, and we get a sense of accomplishment as we complete each chunk - motivating us to keep going.
3. Balance work and rewards
Studying is hard enough without punishing yourself, and forcing yourself to study for really long periods without good food or rest is punishing your body and your mind. If you try to work too hard too many days in a row, then you’re putting yourself at risk for burnout. The best study plans are sustainable and give you time for doing other important stuff like seeing your friends or partner, cooking and exercising, and completing your tasks at work. In general, try not to make yourself sit down at your desk for more than 7 hours a day, and use strategies like the Pomodoro technique to give yourself little breaks within that time.
4. Don’t give yourself too long to do a task
Don’t underestimate yourself by allotting ‘procrastination time’. If writing notes on a 20-page reading is only going to take you 40 minutes if you really focus (but you’ll probably spend a while staring blankly at the screen or checking your phone), then giving yourself an hour is going to sabotage you by giving you time for time-wasting. If you’re a procrastinator, then your worst enemy is having too much time to get stuff done, because we always leave things until the last possible minute. You can avoid this by creating a timed plan of all the tasks you need to get done that day and if in doubt, give yourself less time than you think you need. If you don’t get it done, just allocate it for tomorrow.