I am a procrastinator plain and simple. I hope this guide can help all – or at least one – person searching for help!
The key points I cover are (these will link to the sections):
1. Self-belief
2. Chunking
3. Routine
4. Sleep
5. Water
6. Momentum
I also now have a ‘Later Thoughts’ section where I will add some small tips and tricks that I think of that don’t fit in the main body of this post.
Most revision guides come from a strange fantasy world – I really struggle to relate. They make it seem like it is easy to revise. It’s definitely not.
‘Take this one step and you’ll be able to work 10 hours straight.”
Some self-help site somewhere
Obviously some are less exaggerated. The overhanging idea stays the same, and this is the idea that you can change instantaneously. And when you don’t… well it reaffirms a view that you can’t revise.
The jaded view of reality actually makes the problem worse. By comparing your real work ethic to theirs, you can damage your self-belief and make it harder to work.
I’m not saying they are all lying either, just that people are different and our brains don’t all work the same. One method that helps one person may not help another, and portraying that it does is extremely damaging.
This next section is some advice from my point of view. Once again, it’s not a instantaneous fix, nor should you expect to see quick differences. You may… you may not.
Main factor – Self-belief
Self-belief is one of the most important aspects to being able to revise. Believing you can focus goes a long way to actually letting you focus. Many times we remind ourselves that we are bad at revising or that we always procrastinate, and it becomes self fulfilling.
The point I am making here is not ‘believe you can focus and you’ll be able to’. It is a much slower process then this to create a significant mindset change, but making a start is worth it.
In my blog article My Exam Study Routine it starts off as if I was able to flick a switch, but I am honest in the fact that I didn’t manage to keep it up. I probably tried to do too much too quickly, but I am glad that I gave it a shot and managed to demonstrate to myself that I can work for long periods.
This year I had more exams in January, and I managed to re-enact some of the methods I used last year, and once again managed to revise for long periods that I used to not think were within my ability. It wasn’t foolproof, and some days it fell apart.
I do believe that the slow transition of my mindset away from the idea that I’m bad at revising has created significant improvement, but maybe that’s just because it gives me a blog article to write.
Other factors
Manageable Chunking
This is key to having a good day of revision. Break your work down into pieces of a size that you can manage to get through in a day. Not having a fixed target can significantly reduce your focus. I break my work down into topics and then try and get through one or two topics each day of revision. Once I have done this, I then set myself a practice exam paper a day, or a certain amount of practice questions, to test my knowledge of the content.
Routine and habits
Make sure that you have some sort of routine. Although I enjoy the feeling of flexibility, sometimes rigidity is the only way forwards. For example, being at your desk at the same time every morning can help.
Sleep
This is so important, but you should already know this one (at least you do deep down). If you feel tired, it is so much harder to focus on doing work. Sleeping at a regular time allows you to better plan your day and start working in the morning without that sluggish feeling of sleep deprivation. When you are well rested you will also be able to focus more.
Water & Hydration.
Like sleep, your body needs water to allow it to function, so please give it some fuel. There are many forms of water consumption, so follow whatever method suits you. In the morning you generally are dehydrated so it’s worth drinking as soon as you wake up to start rehydrating.
Momentum
This is a vague point but I think it is worth noting, and probably links up to the mindset and self-belief argument.
Take the example that you believe that you can revise for 4 hours a day and have a target of 30 days to do this for. By the time you reach the 20th day, you are much more likely to complete each day of revision then you were at the start, as you would feel worse breaking your streak.
Momentum can work in reverse to what you want as well. If you are going to have a day off, make sure that it is only one day and you get straight back the day after. If you allow the one day build up to two days it gets much harder to get back into the work mentality. The momentum instead works against you.
Final note
I hope these different items at least gave you a flavour of different ways you can improve your revision. Importantly, I hope that you understand that there isn’t one thing you can do to instantly be better. It is easy to think this way, since it makes it seem as if the outcome won’t require a lot of work. However, to get better at revising it does require significant dedication and you won’t change in a day or even a year.
It’s a lifelong journey to get better at focus, self-control and work. For most people reading this blog, and for me, the journey has only just begun.
It’s the only way to get better at knowing which paths are wrong.
Later thoughts: other tips and tricks:
This section will fill up as I gain more experience of what works and doesn’t work for me.
- Revise with someone – seriously social pressure helps a lot. I have learnt through the pandemic that I work so much less well when I have no one around me. You can find YouTube videos with titles like ‘…study with me…’ which have a similar effect though not quite on par with real life interaction.
Originally published 10th Jan 2022. Publish date updated to reflect edits.