Making The Most Of The Holidays

Holidays are there for a reason: to recharge, relax, reinvigorate… and other alliterative ‘r’ words, too. But holidays are also important to help prepare for the examinations – and Easter is a perfect two-week (or longer) break to help with this. Now, you may be looking forward to a thrilling Easter egg hunt, or perhaps arguing about the merits of Crème Eggs over Mini Eggs* with your younger sibling. Fair enough, these things are important. However, making use of the holiday is a great way of preparing for the summer examinations.

Delay Gratification

It is always so tempting to do the enjoyable and fun first, and delay the dull or the difficult. But – you’ll feel better and more accomplished if you study first, say, for a few hours in the morning, then have fun later. Just think: If you do this, you can be pleased that you have achieved a lot early in the day. Much better than cramming late into the night.

Plan, Plan, Plan!

You’ve probably heard the adage (if you haven’t, here is it): To fail to plan is to plan to fail. Okay, it might seem a bit dramatic but planning out your revision/organising your workload is a great way of making something that might seem insurmountable much more manageable. Perhaps you like a bullet-pointed list. Maybe you prefer a journal with a pretty cover. Some people like to use their mobile phone calendar. Whatever works for you, go with it. Students who plan their workload usually do better.

Treat Time

So, back to the Cadbury’s indulgences. Try to balance hard work with treats. If this means a certain amount of studying before breaking for something, so be it. During the holidays, time takes on a different dimension – days can seem endless but disappear quickly. If you allow yourself little breaks every now and then, it makes the work more worthwhile.

Testing, Testing

See if you can work with someone else – get someone to test you, or perhaps quiz a friend. There are great apps available which can help with this. You can even set up something to help test yourself. This doesn’t need to be arduous – little and often is best.

There you have it – some top tips for making the most of the holidays. Doing a little every day is better than panicking at the end of a two-week break. It is all about planning ahead, thinking about what you need to do and making the most of your time.