Incoming Finals Week! Time to get stressed and binge-watch YouTube videos because the urge to do something unproductive is the highest then!
But, are you tired of sitting and now plan on acing the finals week while studying like a pro? I've got you covered.
Admit it. You're late and you want to cram up all the information right before the exams. So what do you do?
Here are some things that I do. Doesn't have to work for you, but you could always try them!
KEEPING ALL THE MATERIALS I NEED, READY.
One week is not a long time and by that time, I'm pretty sure you'd have finished with your classes. So start preparing by collecting your notes on the same day. You don't need a lot of time for that. Especially if you already have all the materials ready.
This is why I have always been consistent about making my own notes.
Take one day off of the seven days and start collecting materials for your exams. Take the entire day to sort out the materials and to start reading them.
Days Left: 6
MAKE A RIGOROUS TIMETABLE
Or maybe don't. Find out what works the best for you. 6 days before the first exam, make sure to have a timetable ready for ALL the exams that are present. Once you have that ready, you can start working on schedules to allot to your subject for each day. It will make your work a lot easier!
Days Left: 5
START STUDYING
Start by studying for the exam that's the hardest/ farthest from the date you sit down. This is because you do not want to lose your focus a couple of days before the first exam to another exam. Make sure to actually sit down and study your subject rigorously.
Days Left: 3
Once you've spent a couple of days studying the hardest subject, it is not time to focus on the first exam. Shift all of your focus on the first exam and start studying.
HOW DO YOU STUDY WELL?
I know what you mean. You sit down for hours straight and can't cram all the information up? You sit for 15 hours to study but have covered only 1/4th of the syllabus? It used to be the same for me until I figured time-blocking.
Time-blocking is an essential tool that needs to be implemented. The most famous time-blocking method is the POMODORO method.
I remember to sort my study methods in batches and keep aside all the distractions. They're unnecessary and unwanted when I need to study. Less is more and more is less. The more focused you are while studying, the less time you'll have to devote to that. You don't have to spend hours when you can spend minutes.
You also need to figure out your energy drainer moments and energy recharge moments to study. Whether you're a night owl or a morning person. You need to figure these things out and see what kind of person you are.
Here's a tip: Remember to not study during your energy draining moments and remember to study during your energy recharge moments.
Energy drainers are those moments where you feel lethargic and the least motivated. They could be any time of the day.
For eg: The energy drainer moments of my day are from 1:00 PM to 5:00. This is the time period where I feel the most exhausted and the least motivated. I will try to study during these periods when I don't have any other option, but generally, I try to avoid these time periods while studying. These energy draining moments make me slow and lethargic, thus making me lose my productivity.
Energy recharge moments are those moments where I am fresh and fully recharged enough to study. These are the times that I am most productive and the most fulfilled. Any task given to me during this time is when I'll be able to complete without any hesitance. These are the moments where I actually sit down and try to cover as much as I can while studying.
For Eg: My energy recharge time is 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. These are the times when I am the most productive.
The rest of the time, apart from the energy drainer and recharge moments, I do spend my time studying, but I would not be as productive as the latter and as counterproductive as the former.
Remember to figure out your time period!
Hope this was helpful! Let me know in the comments below as to what posts would you like to see in future!
HAPPY READING!
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