How to Revise for Exams!

OK people, it's that time of year again ... Exam season. Everyone I know from people in their final year in their degree (5th years for medics/law students) right down to my year 6-ers at work taking their SATs is stressed out. But we need to chill, and take some advice from someone who may or may not have revised for their GCSEs and A-Levels (not). However, this someone has friends and co-workers and teachers and everyone in between that CAN revise, and may I say, are pretty darn good at it. So I've taken an interest, mainly for you lovely people, and devised some of my favourite revision coping mechanisms.

1. Start Early. This may be coming a tad late for some of you, but it's never too early to start revising. Even just a little bit. Just to get yourself used to it and come on, we all know it's better than leaving it till the final 24 hours and then trying to cram it all in at once

2. Preparation is key. This comes from something I've learnt while at university. Revision is SO much easier if you attend all the lectures, do all of the seminar prep and the required reading. This is something that I have failed miserably at. I am currently up to my January reading for Contract Law. And I have to say, revising the topics that I did do the reading for is way easier. Same goes for seminars, this is especially with my Property module. It kind of comes back to you if you've done it before. So, take note for next year (sorry).

3. Make revision timetables and checklists. Splitting your modules up topic by topic into a list that you can tick off when you've done makes it so much more satisfying. This way you can see how far you've come, and how much you have left. Timetables are also a good idea for those A-level students out there. Make sure you don't revise one topic all at once though ... which leads me on to my next point.

4. Delegate your revision. Do not, I repeat do NOT revise one topic per day. This won't work. Even worse is those who try to revise all of their maths course, then their English, then their Spanish, just no. It's been scientifically proven that after 20-30 minutes of the same content, the brain retains less info. So it's such a good idea to set your timer. Spread out your revision into your separate categories. And do short, 15 minute bouts of revision. This has been so good for me.

5. Colour code. I know, I know. It's my favourite thing to tell people. But if everything has a different colour, then it's easier to pick up where you left off in each topic, and nothing gets too mixed up.

6. Find a quiet space. (Preferably not your bed - why are naps SO much more appealing when revising?!) This is key. This can be anywhere. The library, your desk at home, your garden as it's getting nicer outside, even your grandparent's house. My music teacher is kind enough to let me go there to revise sometimes if there's too many people at home.

7. Do not waste your day. Get up and get to it! Waking up early and having a good breakfast, even going for a jog, will free your mind and make you more inclined to retain information when studying. As the evening gets closer, there are more distractions around, people are coming back from work, the pub is more inviting and Game of Thrones is way more appealing than Jeremy Kyle.

8. Condense your notes - then condense some more. This is something that I feel really works for debates or aural exams. If you have pages and pages of notes from lectures, seminars, workshops, readings, you're just not going to learn them all. But if you have say, less than 1 or 2 pages per topic or only flash cards for debates, it's going to be worthwhile.

9. Record your notes. This is AMAZING. Future lawyers and medics (or anyone really) take note. Recording your notes onto your iPhone for example is such an efficient way of revising if your life is insanely busy. Take me for example, I am a law student who has a 45 minute drive to and from uni. I work part time 20 minutes away from where I live and I also like to go to the gym 3+ times a week. Recording my notes means that I can listen to them when I'm driving, when I'm doing my make up and even when I'm on the treadmill. Erm HELLO shortcut!

10. Reward yourself. This may come as a shock to some of you (not). But I find the best way to motivate myself is to reward myself with ... wait for it ... SHOES of course. I have in mind the pair of shoes I want, and I'm not allowed to buy them unless I feel confident in one of my modules. The more I revise, the more confident I'll be and the more likely I'll be able to get the shoes. If you have a sweet tooth a great way to get your required reading done is to strategically place sweets in your book too.

11. Flash cards. This is a bonus tip for you all. Up until this very point of me writing this blogpost, I always copied out chapter summaries to revise. But today, (Yes TODAY - Tuesday 12th May) I discovered the power of the flash cards. I have a multiple choice exam on Thursday and I can't tell you how much these flash cards are helping me out. There like a gift from the gods, (more like a gift from my little Italian beauty of a friend at uni). But honestly, I have never learnt so much in a single night. I can't believe I've got up until this point without using them. They may not be for everybody, but there's no harm in trying!

There you have it! My favourite tips on how to be a revision master! There are other tips out there like placing post-it notes around the house, and using friends and family members to test your skills. However, I find these tips are the most unique and I guess that it depends on what kind of learner you are to know if they're the most successful. But I for one will be using these strategies for my upcoming exams and I hope they do you some good too! If you have any more tips, please leave them in the comments below. I'll talk to you next time and good luck!
CJ x

How to Stay/Get Organised

Let's talk about organisation.
I know there are thousands of you that just don't know how to keep up on tasks, or even how to tackle them to begin with. I used to be one of those people, I never used to do anything and I would always be late for things. Being disorganised would lead to me being so stressed out and I just felt frustrated and busy a lot of the time. But now, I'd say I'm quite an organised person, borderline obsessively organised person.
I'm not claiming to be perfect in any way, I do still drop the ball on a few tasks and I still leave things till the last minute! But my tasks are much more manageable when I stick to my system. Everything has a place and there's a place for everything so to say (although my bedroom is still a mess, but we can ignore that).
In the way of work, or makeup or clothes. My stuff is sorted out just the way I like it and I always know what I have to do. Therefore, I have devised some tips to help you manage tasks more efficiently too!

1. To do lists
I have to have a to-do list at all times. And although it constantly has 20 things on it, I still feel so much better for having it. I even have to-do lists for different areas of my life. I have a University list (sigh, my longest one), a general life list - which reminds me, I need to put windscreen wash in my car! - and a travel list so I know what needs doing before my next trip. You can either write these down in a notebook (my next point), grab yourself a memo or sticky notes pad, or download one of the list apps - these can even sync to your emails and let you know your deadlines! It also helps to have a little memo pad lying around to write these lists on! 


2. Notebook
This is something that I have only recently used religiously, I bought a nice new paperchase one just to motivate me to use it more. In here I have more lists - upcoming blogposts, places I want to see on my next trip, makeup I need to try etc. It's a really good way of having all of your thoughts and ideas in one place so you don't forget them!

3. Diary
I have always loved having a planner for school/college/university. I also put any birthdays I may forget in there. Not only are my deadlines in my diary. but I put in reminders for the week before just so I'm sure I won't forget! If it's possible, write your academic timetable or your work's rota in your diary too and put any extras in there as well.

Notebook, Diary and Memo Pad all from paperchase

4. Colour code
These are two words that I absolutely live by. Pretty much everything in my life is either colour coded, or it's organised by colour in some way. All of my modules at university have a coloured folder and I write my notes down for each topic corresponding to that colour. That way, when it comes to revision, I can easily know what I need. My lipsticks and even my to do lists are colour coded too.  (I know, I'm a little insane)

5. Separate.
An extension of my last point would be to separate chunks of things. This means have a different folder for every subject at school. Organise your wardrobe so that summer clothes are on one side and winter on another. If you can't do that, put coats and jackets in one place, then jumpers, tops, pants, skirts, dresses, playsuits and accessories all following.

Multicoloured folders £2.99 each at whsmith

6. Tackle the most difficult/most urgent task first
Say you have about 20 things to do for school, and one of them is reading a 60 page chapter, and it takes you forever to read. Do that task first. If you don't, finishing the other tasks won't be as satisfying as you still have that pain lingering over you.

7. Break up tasks into manageable parts
For my music exams, I have to learn 3 classical pieces. I should be able to go from terrible to confident in around 100-150 plays. However, I'm not going to sit down a few nights before an exam and play a piece 100 times. I usually like to break it up into either 20 plays a week or 5 plays a day. With each day, I see an improvement. Life is a marathon, not a sprint!

8. Don't hoard
This covers quite a few areas. My grandma is a massive hoarder. She has all of my dads old schoolbooks and wanted to keep mine too, but there were just too many and I had to keep them. Once you are finished with something, don't hold on to it! If you got an A in your first maths exam, you don't need your core 1 past papers any more. If you've lost a bit of weight, you don't need your bigger clothes any more. Once you've finished a product, you need to throw it away, no matter how pretty the bottle is (this is tough for me personally).

9. Make note of other people's routines
This isn't absolutely necessary but I find it helps me a lot with my work. Just because you are organised doesn't mean that other people are, or even, you could double book yourself. You need to know who can help you out in that situation. You don't have to religiously memorise what others are doing, but just take notice of when people are in university or work.

10. Reward yourself and make time to relax
Not to be confused with procrastination, it's important to make time for yourself too. If all you think about is how much work you're going to have to do, then you're going to stress. You need to reward yourself for doing these tasks. My favourite is if I read a chapter of one of my law books, then I can read a chapter of a fictional book. Or if I get all of my seminar prep done, then I can reward myself with a bath instead of a shower. And of course, new shoes every time I get an essay finished.

There are 10 tips to help you get or stay organised! I'm not saying you have to do all of these things to be organised, but these definitely help me out! These are just general tips that can be transferred into any area of life but if you'd like me to do specific organisational tips on work, finances, home or your mind, let me know and I would be happy to do so!
Happy organising!
CJ x

New Year's Resolutions

Hello to all the readers of 2015 and a very happy new year!
I, like many others, set myself goals for the new year, and I fail in the first month every year too. So I have devised some tips for me to stick to my resolutions and I thought I'd share them with you! Hope these help

1. Be realistic
The first of January is just like any other day, and 70% of people who set goals in the new year fail before the month has ended. So set resolutions that you are fully capable of achieving, It's great to have big plans and high expectations but make sure they are realistic in reaching. You may not drop 3 dress sizes in a few months, but you can motivate yourself to move more!

2. Visualise your goals
Make sure you can see what you want, picture it, remember it, and this will help. If your goal is to visit new countries and experience new things; print out pictures of the places you want to visit! Buy travel guides and read reviews, this will drive your passion for it.

3. Write them down
I feel so much more organised and motivated if something I need to do is written down. I love to make shopping lists, to do lists, life goal lists as this helps me remember just what I need to do. Invest in a notebook, this will be a life saviour if you're anything like me.

4. Do it step by step
Go with the saying 'life is a marathon, not a sprint' If you're planning on going to the gym for 2 hours every single day after a year of slacking off, you're going to burn out. Start small and build it up, this will be better for your physical and mental health. This works for all types of resolutions, not just fitness ones. Slow and steady wins the race! (and doesn't quit)

5. Write down your progress
Like writing down your initial goals, maybe track them every week. I personally want to run a mile faster, so a good thing for me to do would be to keep track of my times so I can really see my hard work paying off.

6. Focus on positives, not negatives
For example, if you're going to learn a language don't sit there thinking 'it's too hard, I can't do this'. Instead, turn it around and say 'I didn't know this phrase last week' Your knowledge/capacity will expand every week. You are so much more than you were yesterday, keep growing.

7. Get others involved
Two is better than one! If you know somebody else who wants a new start in a certain area, ask them to join you in your goals. I'm currently doing a 30 day challenge with my best friend, and it's so much more fun with somebody else

8. Make good choices/investments
Say you want to learn an instrument, invest in an instructional book or even a few beginners lessons as opposed to trying to learn from the internet or self-teach. Equally important is to make sure you invest your time. If you're really serious, make the investment and it'll pay off!

9. Build on your goals
As you're busy achieving one goal, why not throw in another? If you're doing well at the gym, make your diet healthier. The two may work together and motivate you more!

10. Reward yourself
Don't get too busy worrying about the next step, celebrate how far you've come, admire your achievements. With every huge step, treat yourself (new makeup anybody?)

There you have it! I hope these tips helped, I know not everybody sets New Year's Resolutions, but why not? We all have our weaknesses and we all have something we need to change. Cut down on smoking or shopping, learn a language, travel more, or even just say yes to more things and enjoy 2015 everybody!
CJ x