Friday, June 10, 2011

crunch time.!

It's that time of the semester. Where university students across Brisbane are studying 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 2 weeks. End of semester exams. It's now crunch time. 

Thankfully for me, I have no exams this semester (trust me, it's a first!) but just nailed four 50% final assignments. 

So just a quick little post to all of my fellow followers who are currently reading due to their procrastination impulses- Good luck for your finals. Here are my helpful tips of the trade when it comes to these stressful periods. 

[1] De-clutter. De-clutter your surroundings. Whether that be your work desk, your study room, even your bed. Find a working place without distractions. If that means making a trip into uni so be it. You are more than likely to focus better in a clean, tidy environment! 

[2] Plan.Plan.Plan. Create a study plan. And stick to it. Make sure you include plenty of time to study, keep time aside for exercise and of course sleep. Stick to it for the next two weeks and promise it will all be a breeze!

[3] Sleep. Quite frankly, there's no point staying up until 3am trying to study for your exam when you are half asleep. You are wasting precious sleep time where you could be recovering and putting your brain at ease. Put the books down, have a good 8hrs sleep and do it all again tomorrow. 

[4] Eat healthy. We all know when it comes to study period, we put on those extra few kilos because we avoid going to the gym and snack away on junk food whilst studying. But as yum and tasty as chips, snacks and lollies sound whilst studying, they end up making you feel tired and sluggish after about an hour or so. Try to keep a healthy diet and maintain your gym routine around study period. Keep eating those brain foods such as nuts, fish, lots of h2o and always find time to exercise- refer to point number 3. It will help you sleep better and in turn, study better. 

[5] Reward yourself. Always take a break after studying. Figures show you learn and retain more in your first hour of study. Afterwards, take a short-20 minute- break. Watch your favourite tv show, go out for a walk, step away from the books and leave your mind at rest. Study 24/7 and you will most likely burn out. 

[6] Keep the variety. We all get bored studying the same thing over and over again. Try and keep it diversity by studying different subjects across your study session. Chances are you will remember a lot more than cramming all the one topic. 

[7] Positive. Stay positive. Keep calm. It's ok to feel nervous before your exam. But relax. You have studied hard and your hard work will pay off. Keep a positive state of mind and you will avoid "bombing out" in those finals. 

Good luck everyone!! 
Gros bisous, 
wwndie xxx