How I get motivated to revise

For many of us, revision can feel like such an internal battle, with our motivation wavering and constant distractions all around. With exams approaching, lots of us are wondering how and where to begin with finding the motivation. We procrastinate when we want to avoid doing something. However, the tasks we tend to avoid typically has meaning and holds weight for us. Which can explain why deep cleaning your room feels much easier than hitting the textbooks.

A tip I recommend to everyone is to: recognise your revision. Before I even begin “revising” I identify exactly and specifically what I need to do. Read textbooks (what pages?), refine notes (which topic?) etc… By being specific the tasks at hand seem more manageable and less overwhelming. As you’re trying to ease into revision, you can start by simply reading a chapter per day- the transition into a regular revision routing will soon get easier.

The worst thing you can do (I learnt this the hard way), is to leave all revision to the very last minute. Not only are we extremely stressed, but we limit ourselves to doing the bare minimum. I learnt my lesson and started using planners to help schedule my week. By revising early on before the exams, it allowed me to still have the freedom and time for myself on a daily basis without compromising my exam performance.

My best tip for you is to reward yourself! After a lot of grit and pushing through those papers, reward your work with weekend plans, or a tasty meal! It’s important that throughout our revision we have gaps where we can take a breather and ease our mind to avoid burnout.

I oftentimes remind myself that getting started is the main struggle, and the task itself is actually a lot less harder than the act of starting it.

If you would like to read up on revision techniques you can visit: https://bit.ly/3uCzvZl

Danish
BCU Student Rep