Winter is coming! Nights are getting darker and colder, your favourite series is back on TV and party season is starting. There is more temptation than ever during the winter season to avoid opening up your unit materials. The last thing you want to do when you come home from work is to start your studies...
No more excuses! This is your CAN-DO month - a promise to yourself to get motivated and start studying. Don’t get me wrong, it is important to get the work, life and study balance right, but you can start by doing a few steps to get you in the right frame of mind.
Having a game plan is always a good idea before going in head fast into studying. It gives you structure and routine. Having a busy life with work, friends, family and kids – studying is always the last thing on your list. But it is good to fit it into your weekly routine and to suitably fit it around you. Make a structured timetable of how many hours you want to spend during the week, which topics you want to concentrate on and get a routine going, this will make it easy for you to get in the mode to revise. The hardest part is sticking to it, but if you can get into a routine it will become second nature to you.
Do not be afraid to ask questions, even if it sounds silly there will be somebody out their thinking the same as you. Use your online forums to post a question which will be answered by a topic expert. Asking a question to the tutor and seeing other student’s questions is a great way to learn about each topic. What are you waiting for, ask away!
Technology is great when you need information straight away, it is well known that it does not always help you study but having an app to keep you organised and focus can make you become a more disciplined student. From apps like Evernote, for organising lecture notes to student planners such as iStudiez pro. Have a look at this article by The Guardian on apps which might help you become a disciplined studier.
It is proven that having consistent sleeping pattern, a good diet and exercise routine can boost memory and brain power. It might be hard to have this in control whilst working and having a family life but it is essential to take control of the above to help you with your productivity and to get you in the right frame of mind to revise. Read tips here on how to have a healthy exam term.
Positivity and motivation needs to always come from you – as cheesy as this sounds, it is true. If you are unmotivated or feeling negative you will not feel like doing anything let alone looking through your unit readings. This article has pinned down 7 things successful people always do, even though it is aimed at people in the work place. From receiving feedback to confirm & manage expectations, you can assign the same way of thinking in becoming successful in your exams and getting the qualification.
What are you waiting for? Winter will be here soon but so will your exams – so get your game face on and start your studies. We know that you can do it, I believe in you!
