Exam sessions are here, and if you’re in university you know how difficult studying can be. Pair it with the extra stress of upcoming exams, and it can become an absolute nightmare. But it doesn’t have to be so difficult. With a bit of time management, among other things, it can become a lot less stressful than you could’ve imagined. Here are 4 tips on how to be better focused on studying:
Have a timetable
One of the reasons why I’ve always found studying to be very stressful is that I never knew how to properly organize my time. One easy way in which you can fix that is by having a clearly defined timetable. You can either buy a planner to help you with this, or you can just do it on a spare sheet of paper that you have.
After writing down the dates of your exams and being able to get a clear view on how much time you have between them, you can then begin to schedule the topics you’ll be studying each day. This way, you’ll have a much clearer outlook on your tasks, and it will be easier to keep track of your progress.
Take real breaks
Many have said it before, and it’s true: you need to take breaks if you want to see progress, whatever it is that you’re doing. And I’m talking about real breaks here. This means that you should take the time to step away from your workload every two hours or so, if not often, and you should do something to take your mind of off studying. If you’re still thinking about your schoolwork when you’re taking a break, you’re not really resting, and you’ll only become more unproductive because of it.
Have rewards for yourself
Positive reinforcement is a great method for achieving your goals, and it works well when it comes to studying, too. Whether it is treating yourself to a slice of cheesecake after finishing a difficult assignment or watching a movie you love after a long day of studying, rewarding yourself is a great way to stay motivated if you know that you’ll be able to do something you enjoy after all your hard work.
Don’t compare yourself to others
This is one of things that used to set me back the most: comparing myself to others. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s difficult not to do it, but you’ll rid yourself of a lot of stress once you stop doing it. You have to remember that school isn’t a competition and that, at the end of the day, grades don’t determine your worth. The most important thing is to be able to walk away with something useful at the end of the day, and it won’t benefit you to spend time obsessing about how others may be doing better than you.
