Time management is an important skill, especially when it comes to exam revision. There is so much content to study in a short amount of time. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of master procrastination, ignoring and, ultimately, resorting to cramming all of the information the night before an exam. If this sounds like a familiar revision technique, you might find this article helpful.
Here are some tips to help you plan out your revision time more effectively during exam season.
Work out what you’ve got to do
The first step to planning your time for revision effectively is to create a to-do list. This could be a comprehensive Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of all the content you need to revisit for each of your modules, or a simple scribbled-down list of things to want to achieve for each individual day. Whichever method works best for you, just try to find out what revision you need to get done and for when. That way, you will be able to formulate a timetabled plan to help you get things done on time.
It’s timetable time!
Now that you know what you need to revise, create a timetable to help you stay on track. Work out how much revision you need to do per day might be helpful. For example, divide the total number of lectures you need to revise for one module by the number of days until that modules’ exam.
Be reasonable with allocating your time to completing each task. If you know something is likely to take more than one hour, give that thing a slot that’s longer than one hour. This will help you to not fall behind your schedule so you don’t feel like you’re failing at sticking to your own plan.
Try your best to stick to this timetable. It can be tempting to drift away from the plan, but planning it effective for a reason. It is okay if things don’t go exactly according to plan, but aiming to stick to it will be beneficial in the long-run!
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Plan your breaks
Remember to factor in study break time into your plan too. Research shows that planning study breaks during revision can help to reduce stress, increase energy, and boost physical and mental health.
Don’t forget that, at the end of the day, you’re still human. You can’t work from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep everyday. You will burnout and subsequently find it harder to get back into any sort of revision routine.
Read this article to discover the best ways to spend your study breaks.
Be gone, distractions!
If you know that you’re prone to getting distracted by social media, TV, music, or even other people, try and make sure that those distractions are not present when you start studying. This might mean placing your distractible devices in another room while you work. It also might mean telling your friends you need to work alone for a bit.
Do whatever it is you need to do to make sure you get your work done. It is more than ok to put yourself and your revision first!
Prioritise your studies
The weather is getting better and there are events and lots of fun things to do in the sun. It’s tempting to leave the work to go do fun things, but that’s not ideal in the runup to exams. Try and put your work first for the few weeks before exams, and save the fun things for the summer break that follows exams.
Study time management apps, templates and websites
Creating timetables and scheduling your time isn’t easy. There are plenty of apps and online resources to turn to that will offer you various templates and timetables with pre-made blocks of time. Below are some examples of apps and websites you can search in your app store or online:
- To-do list template
- Productivity trackers
- Distraction blockers
- Pomodoro timer
- Daily planner
- Weekly planner
The takeaway message
Managing your time during studying and exam season is difficult, so, hopefully, you found some usefulness in these tips. Remember to take regular breaks in between your studies so your mind and body stay energised and refreshed. Good luck with your revision, I hope it all goes according to plan!
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