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December and January are typically a busy time on the academic calendar for college and secondary school goers, with exams, assignments and deadlines looming.
It is important to make the most of your time off over the festive season and find the balance between a well-deserved break and getting your work done. When you are studying, try make it as productive as possible by maximising your time. These seven steps will help you to remain focused over the busy season.
1. Divide your time wisely: don't feel pressure to do a marathon study session in an attempt to get everything done. You don’t want to waste your entire Christmas holiday looking at books. Studying for smaller stints will allow you to be more focused and productive as it is proven over the age of 17 our attention span is less than an hour. Try to study for 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break.
2. Make a plan: the most important thing is to make a plan, decide what to study and how long to spend on each topic. Set yourself a task as to how many topics you need to cover and much time you planning to spend on each one. Make a calendar of all the days you have off and allocate different topics to each day.
3. Prioritise your work: try to priorities the topics you are finding the most difficult or that are very theory based. It's important to spend more time on these subjects as they take longer to break down and learn. To avoid procrastinating and putting off a topic you don't like, try and study it first to get it out of the way. If some topics/projects or modules carry more marks, spend more time on them to maximise the grades you will receive.
4. Be organised:have the material you need at your desk ready to go so you don't waste any time. It is a good idea to use flashcards or different coloured stationary to help with memory retention. A clean and organised study space helps improve focus and productivity, and it can also help improve sleep quality. Know exactly what subject you are going to study before you sit down to tackle it (to stop you wasting time trying to decide where to start).
5. Reduce your distractions: this is easier said than done - especially with family members coming and going around the festive season - but try not to get distracted. Find an area to study out of the way from everyone else. Try to avoid procrastinating; we are all guilty of finding other jobs to do in order to avoid studying, but this is just delaying the inevitable and putting yourself under more pressure in the long run.
6. Social media detox: use the app limiting section on your phone to limit the access you have to social media accounts while preparing for exams. It is a good idea to switch off your notifications and internet while you are studying, to limit disruptions. Try a complete social media detox, if you can - we all spend countless hours scrolling aimlessly online. This will free up a lot of time and give your eyes a break from screens.
7. Eat Well & Exercise: don't under estimate the positive effects of eating well and exercising regularly. We all tend to over indulge in sweets and food over Christmas - which is perfectly normal - but try to find the balance this year as healthy food and exercise improves brain function. Try to incorporate healthy food into your diet, along with lots of water to keep you hydrated.
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