Keeping a study diary from now until the LC and JC exams will help you to stay on top of your workload. Scheduling your study and marking in important dates will streamline your process. You will be able to see clearly your revision progress as the weeks pass. Preparation for upcoming exams will become more effective and dates for handing up your practical work, projects or essays will always be at hand.
You can use any sort of notebook you like as a study diary. One with days already sectioned off with calendar dates could be handy, but sectioning off and designing the pages yourself can help to cultivate pride in your work and encourage you to stick to your schedule. Creating one yourself also means you can tailor it specifically to your needs. It might be a case that on one particular day you would like more room to write some notes or allocate more time to specific activities or projects. Some people might also like to use a laptop or computer. Either way, you should find a method that suits you best.
It’s important to have a system in place where by once you’ve completed the piece of study or handed up your work, you tick them off, put a line through it or highlight it. This helps to give you a sense of achievement after completing the work. Small victories like these will boost your confidence; they will add to the drive you need to push yourself over the next few months.
Leaving space somewhere in your diary to make a note of how the study went will help with your mental health. Write down what you found difficult and what you enjoyed. This reflection will help you to stay focussed. As well as this, it will allow you to clear your mind of any thoughts, good, bad or indifferent, you had at the end of a school day or study session. Freeing your mind of these thoughts and putting them on paper is mentally liberating. With a clear mind, you will be able to study more effectively and process what you’re working on easier.
Remember, when you’re scheduling your diary be sure to factor in some down time. If you play a sport, make time for it in your schedule. It might be that you have an interest in video games or like to go for walks or paint; whatever it is that you enjoy doing, make sure you give yourself some time to actually do these pastimes. They will be the necessary respite you need to get through the months of revision.
Written by:
Diarmuid O’Hegarty
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To help with studying for your exams, see our Revise wise series on www.revisewise.ie