Continuous application to a task is likely to either tire or bore us. We need a break to refresh and re-energise. But do long breaks get us off the revision track? Or is there a perfect amount of rest time that keeps us refreshed and motivated?
There may not be a single strategy that works for everyone, but here are some tips to try to help you balance work and rest, and keep up motivation to study.
6 strategies to keep you motivated:
1. Practise small
A long break such as half term can be broken into small chunks of time, so you don’t take your foot off the pedal completely. Why not break your week into one and a half day chunks where you revise and rest in alternative periods of time?
2. Think big
Place reminders around you of why you are studying. For example, your first choice university prospectus, a sketch of you wearing a graduation gown, things you want to do during freshers week, a job you’d like to do one day.
3. Make a routine
‘Successful people do daily, what others do occasionally.’ —Paula White
Routines keep us ticking. Keep some regular plans over your break. For example, get up before midday, revise for a planned number of hours, and only check your social media after you have completed some work.
4. Have a different type of break
Revise differently over a break. For example, move to the garden to revise on a Monday, go for a walk as you memorise something on a Tuesday, record some notes and listen to them as you wash the dishes on Wednesday, cook something special to celebrate revising on Thursday, and study with a friend on Friday.
5. Have at least 3 ‘yes’ days
Procrastinating when you know you have loads of work? On your ‘yes’ days, the rule is to just say yes when you know you have to do something and complete it straightaway.
6. Download the free Move Mood app
Are you finding it hard to structure your time and keep a routine? stem4’s free Move Mood app can help you structure your day and work towards your goals.
Move Mood is an app developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Dr. Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, and uses the evidence-based treatment Behavioural Activation Therapy to help you improve your mood by encouraging you to increase your motivation to carry out a variety of tasks in order to help you to move forward, take control and feel positive.
Download the Move Mood app for free on the App Store and Google Play to help you set yourself tasks and keep track of your progress, with a companion to guide you and awards for maintaining a streak. For help setting up your first task, check out our video guide.
