Motivation in the Midst of Mayhem
Monday 17 April 2017
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Hello lovely people! Today is a day I would characterize with one simple word. That word is UGH. I don't usually fall victim to the plaguing negativity that encompasses university life. Except of course during exam season.
The following weeks and upcoming month hold a a great deal of influence over my university career. See, I am in my 2nd year of university, which means things are far more serious than they were last year, albeit not as serious as they will be in the years to come. Either way, what concerns me is that despite this looming sense of importance I can't seem to find the enthusiasm or commitment to effectively prepare myself for, what we have already established, is a significant set of examinations.
The world around me is simultaneously over stimulating and under whelming. The former keeps me out of the library and busy exploring cities in Morocco, cafes in Birmingham, or quaint Scottish University towns on the weekend. While the latter has me sat starting aimlessly at an open textbook sprawled on my lap with fingertips ready to notate my most interesting findings. I'll tell you something though, none of my findings seem to be exceptionally interesting. In fact, I'd argue they are all a bit mundane, repetitive, and dense.
This clearly isn't how I generally feel about my course, in fact its far from it. I do genuinely and truly enjoy university and I find most of my classes to be fairly interesting and stimulating. Yet, once revision season approaches and I must actually begin to qualify my knowledge I find myself getting fairly detached and disinterested. So, I've decided rather than binge watching Netflix from bed I will have to find a way to reinvigorate my love for International Relations during this period of unparalleled stress. Like any millennial I hit the web in search of guidance and stumbled through countless blogs listing various remedies and motivators for studying. What I found was mostly intuitive, but I've reiterated a few points below that I think really can make a difference in my approach to revision.
I believe, and this is an old trick of mine, that the best way to study is by making hard copy notes. Even better? Make notes injected with tons of colour. If its visually pleasing and aesthetic to look at I will be more likely to re-read and study off the sheets. I'll also be more inclined to make the notes if I have exciting stationary to work with.
Secondly, take breaks, and frequently. There is however a caveat here. Yes, breaks are without a doubt important. But breaks that centre around Facebook, Instagram, or even Netflix are dangerous. Instead of lasting 5, maybe 20min they can engulf you and easily derail you from the task at hand. So instead I'm proposing breaks that involve giving your brain a break without completely switching it off. Read a non-academic book for example, or meet a friend for a coffee and chat.
Whatever you do remember that this phase is fleeting. It won't last forever and once we power through the season of exams we get to break free and enjoy the grace of summer (at least till it all starts again in September).
XX,
F.
