We all have final exams, essays and assignments ahead of us in Spring Term, making this Easter holiday and its workload a particularly anxiety-inducing experience. I’m here to help reduce some of that anxiety by giving you my top tips for staying motivated over the break to ensure you meet all your deadlines and revise, but also take some time to relax.

Getting started – planning vs procrastination

The first step to making this daunting task of preparation for summatives a more achievable end-goal is to make a plan. Breaking down vague goals like ‘revise all module content’ or ‘write 3000 word essay’ into smaller, more manageable mini-goals that you can cross off will encourage productivity and help you get started without feeling overwhelmed. A word of caution – don’t get sucked into the trap of excessively planning and preparing down to the minute, as this is a very tempting method of procrastination that lulls you into a false sense of productivity!

Whatever kind of plan you choose to create, the most important thing is that it is both consistent and realistic. You know yourself best – don’t schedule four hours of continuous studying starting at 8am if you know you’re most productive in the afternoons or in smaller, 30 minute chunks of time. For my summative essays, I find that breaking down the final product into smaller stages and assigning myself a ‘due date’ to complete each stage by is a great way to make sure I’m on track to submit my work on time without added time pressure. 

For those of you facing the mammoth task of revising entire modules leading up to final exams next term, breaking down your end-goal of being confident in your subject’s content into manageable, smaller tasks is still a useful way to ensure that you remain motivated to keep going. You’re more likely to procrastinate and feel unmotivated if you don’t have a clear plan of action and an end-goal in sight. If you’re stuck on how much time to allot each stage of your revision or each smaller task, do an overall audit of the entire module to see which content you struggle the most and least with. Starting with the content you feel least confident in is a great way to build up motivation as you tackle difficult questions and gain a strong sense of achievement.

Keep going – staying motivated day by day

Now that you have a plan of action and some manageable daily or weekly goals to accomplish, staying motivated throughout the week and avoiding burnout is going to be hugely important and is often neglected. Going from the constant activity and hard work of Winter Term to a month of time away from scheduled classes is a big shift, so consider taking some time to properly rest and recharge before formally starting revision. I tend to treat the first three to four days of this holiday as a complete break, before slowly going back to working a couple of hours each day. Trying to work for several hours straight without a break is unrealistic, so factor in smaller breaks in between study sessions to keep up the momentum. I find that going on a walk, doing some stretches or even just avoiding going on my phone during these breaks is a great way to spend them and maintain the productive energy I’ve built so far.

I hope that despite the numerous exams and assignments awaiting you next term, you’re still able to take some time off this holiday in the midst of exam revision and essay writing with these tips on staying motivated and productive over a long stretch of time. For me, getting started is always the most difficult part of this time of year, so even if it’s only ten minutes of reviewing flashcards or bookmarking articles to research later, all of these little steps add up. Happy revising!