Ever found yourself sitting down to study after school, determined to perhaps smash out an essay and some practice questions, only to find that somehow it’s midnight already and time to head to bed and you’ve accomplished next to nothing?
The upside is, we feel you. We’ve been there before. We know too well of the perilous pitfalls and specious beguilements of the 21st century (*oh look, I just got a notification on Facebook*… no, stop, focus!). And that’s why we’re here to help you get the most out of VCE by obliterating procrastination once and for all, enabling you to maximise your productivity.
1. Set up a study space.
As silly as it may sound, having a comfy, quiet, clean space dedicated for study helps get you into the zone from the outset. It’s often hard to tap into study straight away if you keep moving from one spot to another around the house, but by allocating one space, you condition yourself to enter a ‘study mindset’ whenever you sit down there. Make sure your spot is equipped with all the essentials (stationery, formula sheets, adequate light, comfy chair) so you don’t have to keep getting up to find stuff.
2. Set yourself a study goal.
Ever felt like studying but haven’t been sure where to even begin? Ever had so much to do that you’ve felt torn in all different directions? The best thing to do is to take a deep breath and to write all your tasks down in a list. Pick out a few tasks — including top-priority, maximum impact ones — and make it your day’s mission to complete them. You’ll find that with a goal in mind, your study sessions will feel much more purposeful, meaningful and manageable. And besides, who doesn’t feel good about crossing stuff off lists? ;)
3. Time yourself.
Try out Francesco Cirillo’s good old Pomodoro technique and break up your study sesh into bite-sized 25 minute pieces, and challenge yourself to complete a task within that time. You’ll be surprised how a little time pressure can make you work so much more expeditiously. And, better still, you’ll be practising dealing with the time pressure that you’ll have to face in your SACs and exams.
4. Reward yourself.
Myth: in VCE there’s nothing but study, study, study. Actually, there’s no reason you should stop doing the things you love in VCE, like playing piano or going for a run or watching The Big Bang Theory. Use your hobbies and interests as rewards for when you smash out an ace study sesh. Not only will it help you keep a good balance between studies and having a life, it’ll also help keep you motivated and pumped for your next study sesh.
5. Break up with your phone.
Let’s face it: the main culprit of procrastination is none other than your phone. It sits there so enticingly on your table, just centimetres from your itchy fingers… Enough is enough! Kick it out of the room while you’re trying to study, and use it instead as a reward for having done some solid work. If you’re feeling tech-savvy, you could even try using some apps to restrict your internet access for set periods of time.
6. Tune in.
Whether or not you listen to music while studying is a personal preference. However, if you do like to listen to music, picking the right type of music will make a huge difference to your productivity.As The Conversation’s Exam Guide explains, you should pick music to complement what you’re studying — if it’s something quite repetitive, pick a playlist that is arousing and invigorating, whereas if you’re learning something complex, stick to simple and steady music or none at all. It also helps to choose tracks that you’re familiar with, otherwise more of your brain’s capacity is used to process it.
7. Let the fam know about your plans.
It’s pretty annoying when you’re starting to get into your essay and you’ve got this extraordinary juxtaposition of words in your head when all of a sudden your sibling waltzes into the room or your parents start yelling out for you to help them with a tech problem, and all of a sudden your miracle of an idea is out the window. So how do you avoid such a tragedy? Just let your parents know about your plans! If everyone knows that your study time is between 5-7pm, it’s less likely that they’ll accidentally disturb you mid-epiphany.
