If exam season is coming up for you, you may already begin to feel nervous and anxious.
Exams can be extremely stressful, especially when you have to do them for multiple subjects and classes.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of procrastinating, where you try to get all of your studying done at the last minute.
However, it’s important to not give in to temptation as this can result in you getting a poorer grade than you deserve.
Here are 10 tips on how you can avoid procrastination during exam season.
1. Organize your time correctly
When you have multiple subjects you’re studying for, it’s important to manage and organize your time effectively if you want to cover all of your study material before the final exam.
Come up with a list of all the topics you need to cover before your exam and create a plan of action.
Allocate time for each topic, and assign some mini-milestones along the way so that you can keep motivated and be aware of your progress.
It’s best to spread out all of your studying rather than do it all in one chunk. This reduces the chance of you forgetting it and will keep everything fresh in your mind when you come to take the exam.
You should also factor in time to double-check the most important points so you feel ready to get the best grade possible.
2. Keep your phone away from you as much as possible
Although we all love our phones, they can cause us serious problems when we’re trying to study for an exam.
One quick check of social media can quickly turn into an entire evening of procrastination. If you want to avoid this happening to you, we’d suggest putting your phone away while you’re studying.
If you want to use your phone as a reward during your study breaks, you should set time limits on how long you’re allowed to use each app so you don’t get carried away.
You can also download apps or extensions to your browser that limit the amount of time you spend on social media or non-academic sites so you can keep the focus on studying.
3. Make use of the in-between times
If you’ve got a busy day at university or have to balance a part-time job, it can be hard to even find the time to get any studying done.
It’s up to you to find the small in-between times of your day where you can squeeze in a few minutes of revision.
Whether you’re waiting for your next class to start or waiting for the bus to university, these are all times when you could easily plug your headphones in and listen to some revision material.
Any revision you can get done will make a big difference and will prevent you from the stress of revising everything at the last minute.
4. Don’t forget about your breaks
You can’t work for hours on end and expect to remain productive the whole time – you have to schedule breaks for yourself to give your mind a break.
Most people can only focus for around 25–30 minutes before their brain starts to slow down. So, plan out your study session in small half-hour sections, followed by a 15-minute break.
During your breaks, you should get away from your desk, have something to eat or drink, and do something that will let your brain off for a few minutes before getting back to work.
5. Break the deadline down
It can be daunting when you have to think of all the work you need to get done before a big exam. But there’s no need to stress yourself out, you could just break your work down into sections.
Set yourself small goals that you can work towards. For example, you can set a target to complete 5 chapters of revision a week.
When you complete these small goals, you’ll feel more motivated and productive – which will fuel you through your next goal.
6. Stay active in between revision sessions
Sitting at your desk all day can make you feel tired and run down. It’s important to get your blood flowing and body moving when you can in between your revision sessions.
Go out for a walk or jog around your local area, or just stay inside and do some stretches if you’d prefer. Whatever it is, keeping your body is extremely important to keep your brain functioning and your spirits high.
7. Create a visual representation of all your tasks
It can be hard to keep track of everything you need to do when everything is inside your head. We recommend everyone have a visual representation of all the tasks they need to complete.
Whether you create a study diary on your phone or use post-it notes around your room to keep track of everything, having something you can see in front of you will be hugely beneficial.
8. A change of scenery is important
You may have the perfect study set-up in your room, but it’s hard to stay motivated when you’re sitting in the same room day in, day out.
Try to change up your location every now and then to keep you productive. Whether you switch to a local library, nearby coffee shop, or even your favorite park, a switch-up in the environment will do you good.
9. You deserve rewards for your hard work
Balance work with fun activities to keep you motivated and to stop you from burning out. If you’re working hard to get the grades you want, you deserve some reward for all the hours you’re putting in.
When you’ve completed a few hours of work or completed one of your goals, you should reward yourself. This could be treating yourself to a coffee from your favourite coffee shop, taking yourself out to dinner, or just watching a new film on Netflix.
10. Get your friends involved in your next study session
Studying doesn’t always have to be something you do all by yourself. If you’ve got friends who are studying for the same class as you, organize a study session so you can get work done together.
Even if your friends aren’t in the same class as you, being around other people who are studying is very effective at keeping you focused.
