Exams!

It's that time of year again that everyone dreads. There is so much to do, and yet every year I find myself (and I'm sure others do too) searching for the most random videos on youtube, or looking out an old box-set that I haven't seen in ages. This year, my chosen method of procrastinating is Minesweeper. I am OBSESSED! I wish I could go back to the days when I didn't know how to play it properly, and got so annoyed that I died so early on that I quickly gave up. Not now. I've moved up to the advanced level. Yeah, shit just got real! 

Exam time is stressful enough without making yourself even more stressed by spending so much time procrastinating that you find yourself on the morning of your exam thinking - Shit, I have no idea how I'm going to do this. That youtube video wasn't even THAT funny! - Believe me, I'm speaking from experience. 

So, I thought I'd tell you how I personally study more effectively, and hopefully this will help you out. 

1. Calm Down! - You're not going to be able to do anything properly if all you are thinking is - OMG, so stressed right now, FML. 
2. You CAN do it this - it sounds co clichéd, but if you don't think you can, then you wont. You HAVE got time, you CAN remember important points/quotes, you CAN do it! 
3. Sleep - if you don't get enough sleep, you're studying is going to be shit. Simple. The thought of studying is bad enough without your bed calling your name! Make sure you get at least 7/8 hours of sleep a night, and before you go to bed, do something that doesn't relate to your studies. Read a book/magazine, listen to some music, watch some tv. You don't want to be going to bed with facts and figures flying around your head.
4. Study in time periods - I always find this helpful. If I give myself a time frame of 2 hours to get something done, I have to get it done. Then you can have a 45min break.
5. Be strict - if you give yourself a time period to do something in, you can't be going on facebook/youtube or anything. It's only a couple of hours, so STUDY! 
6. Get rid of distractions - find a quiet place in your house, in the library or a cafe where you can concentrate. I find visual distractions the worst, so having the tv on is totally out of the question. I do however find it quite nice to listen to music, depending on what I'm studying. I always go on to http://8tracks.com/ and listen to a chill/study mix. 
7. Move around - or else your ass is going to hurt! Make sure that during your breaks you get up and move around a bit. If you're at home, do 20 star-jumps. It'll get more oxygen into your body and you'll feel more awake.  

I'm currently studying for my second year Uni exams and am so worried that I'll have to come back from America during the summer to do re-sits! Any type of exam is stressful, whether it's a 3 hour written exam, or a 10 minute oral exam (I have my Spanish oral exam tomorrow - currently shitting myself). You need to remember to relax. I know it's easier said than done, but soon they'll all be over...until next year. 

I hope there are a few points that help you, and if you have any others please let me know. I need all the help I can get!

Good Luck! 

xx