A couple of weeks ago, I finished two weeks of non-stop studying for my exams, and I barely survived. The peace of mind that has replaced my stress is so refreshing, I can hardly believe it myself. Between all the school work, I've been trying to cram as much as I can into my free time, so much that I can't even call it 'free' time anymore.
In high school, I used to be a really lazy person, I would hardly lift a finger to study for tests and exams. Evidently, it showed in my results. I barely graduated, just a fraction of a point less and I'd have to have done my senior year of high school all over again. Now, a couple years later, I'm in college, and I decided for myself that I needed to change if I wanted to do well. So when the first exams started looming around, I took it very seriously. I wrote my own summaries of nearly every subject. That's right, I wrote. Not typing, no. I wrote it all by hand in a little notebook. People have declared me crazy and my arm and shoulder actually started to hurt after a few days, but I did manage to get it in my head. I couldn't finish every single summary, because it was simply too much, but I could easily revise what I did write down.
All my results have already come in, and I passed them all! I couldn't have been happier when I found out that I didn't have to resit one single exam. Hopefully I can just keep this motivation up, because at this point, I'm just drained.
If you struggle to concentrate while studying or doing homework, here are some of my own tips and tricks that I use.
You probably know this of yourself already; but you should figure out whether you're a morning or night owl. If you're a morning person; go to bed early, get up early and get more work done. If you're a night owl; catch your sleep in the morning, and do your duties in the later hours of the day.
Seriously though, plan around a sleeping schedule that works for you and make sure you get enough sleep!! If you don't rest well, you won't be able to focus and that's already a bad start.
In my opinion, study groups are a great way to do your school work! You can help each other when you're stuck on something, and it makes it more fun as well. If you'd rather study alone, that's obviously fine too. However, don't forget to ask for guidance if you need some! Your peers are in the same boat, so they'll know how you feel. And don't feel afraid to even ask your teacher or lecturer for some more explanation. They're there to help you and are only one e-mail away. Trust me, everyone's happy to help.
Personally, I'm very prone to procrastination. I'll get distracted after trying to read two sentences. I'll scroll a little on my phone, or literally do anything else that has absolutely zero to do with school. If this sounds familiar, here are a few more tips on that.
Make sure your work space is clean. A messy desk means more distractions. I know when I have some notebooks or old magazines lying around, I'll just mindlessly page through them, while I usually never do that. The cleaner your desk, the less procrastinating, meaning you can actually get some work done.
And last but not least, probably the most important tip, yet so many people fail to do it; it's to PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. And not just away as in stored away in your bag where you can't see it. The most effective way is to put it in another room altogether. Surely you can go a few hours without your phone. For me, it leads to me almost completely forgetting about it and I can properly concentrate on what I'm doing.
At the end of the day though, you've got to know when to put a stop to it. Your brain has its limits, and there's no use in forcing more information into it. I've stayed up well past midnight on some nights, and it would result in my mom come knocking on my door telling me I should go to sleep.
I say this with all honesty and sincerity, if I can do it, anybody can do it. Stay hydrated, take frequent breaks, chug a gallon of coffee and kick ass. Wishing you all the luck on any future exams to come!
Love, Faith
