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Here’s a rude wake-up call on a Monday morning: there are only three months left before the final exams. But … breathe out, relax, it is very doable. Your course was designed to fit into this window of time. All it takes is for you to do your part. Here’s what a first-year BCom student at NWU wrote about his journey in the first semester:I (used to be) a total mess when it came to studying. I’d procrastinate, and my goals were all over the place. It was frustrating!
(Since then) I learned to set clear goals instead of just dreaming about them. Reflecting on my progress helped me see what was working and what wasn’t, which was a real eye-opener. Taking action was the hardest part, but I found that even small steps made a difference. There were days I wanted to quit, but my determination pushed me through.
Now, I feel more focused and in control. My grades have improved, but the best part is the confidence I’ve gained. Success isn’t about being perfect; it’s about showing up, putting in the effort, and learning from the bumps along the way. I’m sure many of you can relate to that, perhaps especially about the “days I wanted to quit.” But, like this student, you can also find your balance again – as the British people said during the Second World War, KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. To quote the student above: success is about showing up and putting in the effort.
What does that mean? Let’s recap the basics, the boring essentials: structure and discipline.
- If you don’t have a time schedule yet, it has to happen TODAY. Fill in class times, tutorials, regular dates like soccer on a Saturday, and then find 25 hours of study time per week. Remember to include sleep and exercise. **You can ask AI to help you with this. Fill in the first part, and then simply say, “Use this schedule as a basis. Fit in 25 hours of study time, equally distributed through the week. 11pm to 6am is sleep time.” Look at what it comes up with and tweak it to suit you.
- If you have a schedule, but you’re finding it hard to stick to it, you could look at a previous newsletter which was all about making a change in your life. It is difficult. You will tend to relapse, to slide back into your old ways. Three things can help you: involve other people, make it easy, and do not reconsider.
Involve other people simply by telling friends that your evenings are now blocked out for study. Perhaps set up a group on whatsapp, and take turns to send each other a message at (say) 7pm: I’m settling down at my desk. Physics first tonight. (Just an uncomfortable aside – this may mean that you have to reconsider your friends. If they laugh at you for taking your studies seriously, they may not be the friends you want.)
Make it easy: If you hate your 8am class, shower the night before and decide what you’re going to wear. Then you can be out the door in ten minutes. More generally, make sure you have a dedicated study space – NOT your bed.
Do not reconsider: If your schedule says that you will study from 8:30 to 10:30 on a Saturday morning, get up and do it. Do not think about it every time. (The relief when it’s done, when the rest of the day is yours, is amazing!) - Use those study hours as well as possible.
- No phones. Put it on silent, then put it in another room or under your pillow.
- Use spaced repetition to decide what you will focus on in each session.
- Use the pomodoro method: 25 minutes of focused work, a 5-minute break, and another 25 minutes. After four sessions of 25 minutes, break for half an hour. Then get back and do another four.
- Use chunking, active learning (look back at last week’s Thought) and sense-making.
- Make sure that you get 7 – 8 hours sleep a night.
- Get some exercise.
Another student recently wrote that she finds it hard to put this into practice, because she doesn’t have space and doesn’t feel safe walking where she lives. Here’s a slightly off-beat suggestion: in the 1950s, the Canadian Air Force developed an 11-minute workout which targets all the main muscle groups. The idea is to do it daily, and you only need a space big enough for you to lie down. It is still available on YouTube, presented by a young woman who was definitely born after 2000 (there are other variations as well). Try it!
In summary, the recipe for success is really simple. It takes structure and discipline, it’s often boring, but with your goal in mind – and perhaps stuck up above your desk! – you can do it. There’s enough time, both in the day and in the three months till exam time.
Here’s a little poem I came across recently, which means a lot to me. It may help you too.
Happy studying!
The GRAD team
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