It’s December. The shops are filled with Christmas gifts, the urge to blast out Christmas music 24/7 is real and Christmas markets seem oh just so tempting. If you’re anything like me, the motivation to buy and wrap all Christmas gifts multiplies by 100, and the motivation to complete deadlines due before winter break reaches new lows. However, some things just have got to get done, so here are 5 (hopefully) helpful tips to get you through the studying whilst still enjoying the festivities of Christmas!
1) Plan
Get a cute planner and write down all the things you have planned around Christmas time, whether that be Christmas markets, Christmas dinner celebrations or shopping trips. Write down everything so you can clearly see how much time you do or don’t have. This way, you can use the times you aren’t busy to plan a study session, whilst still enjoying all the fun stuff that comes with Christmas, and this brings me onto my next point…
2) Don’t spend every second of the day studying
Yes I said it. Even as a third year, studying a degree, doing a placement and working a job, there are still hours in the day where my mind is not focused on being super productive. If you’re able to plan well, you will be able to have rest time too. Rest is SO important, and it looks different to each person. In winter months, I love wrapping up warm and sipping hot chocolates in a coffee shop whilst digging into God’s word and just spending one-on-one time with him. For others, rest may mean cycling to top of the Peak District, doing some bike trails and having prayer time (guess who I got that idea from). It doesn’t matter what you do to rest, just make sure you do it.
3) Time your study slots
For some reason my brain works in 45 minute slots. This means that for 45 minutes, my phone goes on airplane mode, headphones go in and a timer is started. After 45 minutes of study, I will reward myself with something (usually food or tea). And then I’ll start the timer all over again until my work is done. Working for hours on end without a break actually minimises your productivity and the quality of your work takes a hit. Also, studying different material in each slot really helps stop boredom and enables you to come back to your work with a fresh perspective later.
4) Get creative!
When I am feeling far from creative, one of my favourite things to do is search “study” on Pinterest and add photos to a study board. Seeing all the pretty colours and designs really motivates me to do the same, and actually makes doing work so much more enjoyable! I’m really into making colourful cue cards when planning essays at the moment, rather than writing an essay plan on A4 paper. Buy some cute stationary, use coloured pens, mix it up and you’ll be surprised at how you might actually start to enjoy some of your work!
5) Remembering that your grades don’t define you
One of the biggest de-motivators for me is stress. Stress that I don’t know the answer to a question. Stress that I won’t write the correct thing. Stress that I don’t have enough time. And with stress, comes procrastination… whether that be watching TV shows back to back (yes I’ve been there), going on nights out and blaming your lack of work on a hangover, or simply scrolling through social media for hours.
But when we spend less time stressing, and realise that our mark on a paper does not and will not define our character and our identity, suddenly the deadlines don’t seem so daunting. Your purpose on this planet is worth more than a grade, or even a whole degree class, and when we really know this, completing assignments can actually become enjoyable.
Victoria taylor 