I used a variety of study techniques throughout my Leaving Cert to help me progress quicker, be more productive and avoid procrastination.
Many people believe this to be difficult, but in reality, it can be very simple if you take charge and have discipline. In this article I share a few of the tricks that helped me study effectively.
Time blocking
This is a time management technique that enables you to possess a lot more control over all the tasks you must accomplish in a given day.
If you do not have a schedule, you are more likely to procrastinate and waste time, because you have not set yourself specific time for working. Remember, two or three hours of complete, uninterrupted concentration and focus is better than nine hours of distraction and unproductive work that gets you nowhere.
Doing excessive hours of unproductive work will also leave you feeling burnt out, and unmotivated to continue with the other tasks that you must complete. Remember, less is more!
Read more about this:
Organisation
You must remember that the state of your surroundings is a representation of the state of your mind. How organized you are reflects how productive you will be.
If you have notes scattered everywhere and none are organised, you will not progress with your study. Clean your study space, make it comfortable and inviting to work in.
Invest in some folders or colour code your subjects. This will make you feel less stressed when you begin to study, as you won’t be looking at a huge pile of text that is impossible to understand or frantically looking for the biology notes you made two months ago for example 🙂
Useful buys:
- Folders to organise your notes (This is a game changer! Organise your notes by subject!)
Change your surroundings
Another great tip that helped me while studying for the Leaving Cert is to change the location where I study.
If you are constantly in one place (your room for example), you will feel restless and will be more easily distracted. (However, if you feel most productive when working in a particular location, that’s okay, everybody is different).
In my experience, I became more productive when I would study in different places. Let’s say on the weekend, I would study a bit at home, then change to the library, and then later perhaps go to a cafe.
This refreshes both your mind and environment so it doesn’t feel like you have been working for a long amount of time.
Slow and steady wins the race:
A major mistake that people tend to make when studying is to worry about all the work they must do, which most of the time ends in them procrastinating and feeling too stressed to even sit down and start.
Instead, what you can do is to create smaller tasks to accomplish every day, which will lead to the overall goal you want to achieve. This massively reduces stress and doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed when beginning to work.
Making goals is crucial. Read this article on setting SMART goals!
Just start!
It was very hard for me to find the motivation to study for the Leaving Cert, but I found that once you force yourself to start, you get into it and are more determined to finish the task.
It helped me very much, to set a five minute timer for studying and then when it went off, I’d realize that I’d want to continue working, as I was invested and more motivated.
It also helped me when I thought about why I was studying: ultimately to get the course you really want and into the college you really want. When you focus on why you are doing something, it also helps you to push through and get the job done.
Have balance
It is really easy to get sucked in and have the Leaving Cert being the only thing that you think about. Make sure to set time for rest and fun, as even though you may not think it, these are also vital for your exam success.
Your mind needs time to process the information you are receiving, and if it is being overloaded, it simply begins to not intake all the information you want it to. Make sure to exercise or simply go on a walk for fresh air, and by doing this, you will feel more motivated and productive in the process.
Other reads:
Definitely check out our brand new, comprehensive guide on getting 625 points too!
Hope you enjoyed reading some of the techniques that I found most useful when studying for the Leaving Cert .These are the ones that worked best for me and hope they work for you too!
Good Luck!
