5 Ways to Stay Motivated During Examinations

MY BLOG/ For Students

5 ways to stay motivated during Final Exams:

• Divide Tasks
• Focus on study
• Schedule your day
• Reward yourself, lots
• Change your Routine of studies

Divide Tasks:

1. Dividing the project into tasks (aka activities) is the first practical step in project scheduling

2. Small projects might have an obvious task breakdown.  But we recommend learning this subject anyway because even a small problem with the task list, especially an omission, can be devastating after the project has been estimated and a full schedule produced.

3. The PMBOK dedicates a process to defining the task activities of the project.  It is called Define Activities.

Make sure it can be reliably estimated.  The tasks should be broken down to a point where a reliable estimate can be produced.  If you are still unsure about the cost and/or duration of the task, consider breaking it down further.

Base it on Deliverable.  Each deliverable should have a clearly defined task, or set of tasks, in place to produce it.

Have only one Responsible Party.  When you have multiple people and/or organizations responsible for the completion of a task, it is difficult to control and manage.  In fact, I’ve committed this sin with the task Electrical & Plumbing, but often these are very well understood tasks and not likely to have major fluctuations.

Match tasks to cost accounts.  Maybe your organization has predefined cost accounts, such as “Wood work”, or “Flooring” that should be used.

Make it measurable.  It should be easy to put a percent complete value on a task at any time, but on time (schedule) progress and budget progress.  If this is not easy to do, maybe it should be broken down further.

External Information Sources

If you, or a member of your team, can reliably estimate the work on your own, this is a good situation to be in.  But most often some level of extrapolation is needed from other information sources.  Three sources that should be considered are:

Previous Projects.  Very few projects are absolutely unique.  There are always other projects from which data can be gleaned and task lists appropriated.  It’s even better when the project’s issues have been documented, because special attention can be given to tasks by breaking them down.

Expert Judgment.  If you have access to an expert, this is the time to use them.  How should the project be divided up?  What is the estimated duration?  Estimated cost?  Required resources?  Some of those questions refer to future parts of the schedule development processes, but the activity list is the foundation.

Templates.  Every project should consider activity list templates.  If none exist, let it be the first one, and adjust the activity list into a template for use on future projects.  In our engineering company, most bridge projects are similar.  Sometimes the bridge is across a road, other times a stream.  But this does not change the activity list substantially, and we have a standard activity list we pull off the shelf and adjust to fit the situation.  It ensures that nothing gets missed.  The PMBOK refers to “WBS templates” in developing the WBS, but the same applies for the Activity List.

Finish to Start (FS):  This is the most common dependency.  When tasks A and B have an “FS relationship,” task B cannot start until task A finishes.

Finish to Finish (FF):  When tasks A and B have an FF relationship, task B cannot finish until task A finishes.

Start to Start (SS):  When tasks A and B have an SS relationship, task B cannot start until task A starts.

Start to Finish (SF):  When tasks A and B have an SF relationship, task B cannot finish until task A starts.

On top of this, you can specify an offset from the start or finish point of a task, called a lead or lag.

Lead:  The amount of time whereby a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor activity.  For example, if tasks A and B have an FS relationship with a lead of 5 days, task B cannot start until 5 days after task A has finished.

Lag:  The amount of time whereby a successor activity will be delayed with respect to a predecessor activity.  For example, if tasks A and B have an FS relationship with a lag of 5 days, task B cannot start until 5 days before task A has finished.

2. Focus on  study:

1. Fix your environment:

Remove distractions before you even pop a book open. It’s easier said than done, but noise and clutter won’t help you with attentiveness. Your physical space will affect your mental state, so minimize distractions as best as you can. It could mean putting your phone in another room, studying in a quiet, open space, or using noise-canceling headphones to filter diversions.

2. Create a “brain dump” list:

Feeling overwhelmed? Throw all your racing thoughts onto a paper with a simple “brain dump” list. You won’t know what to focus on when you’re trying to cram too much information at once. Removing the mental block by externalizing it in words will help you to see what’s important. Don’t worry about structuring your thoughts — that can be sorted once you’ve dumped your ideas on a piece of paper (or Word doc).

It’s also a good mindfulness method to track distractions while you’re studying. Keep a note on when you feel your attention is waning and where your mind wanders, then pull your thoughts back to the present. This helps you identify your study patterns and teaches you to be more aware when it happens again.

3. Use time blocks:

The Pomodoro Technique has gained traction among students, and there’s a good reason why. It creates a sense of urgency for us to complete critical tasks as much as we can in short bursts of time, interlaced with breaks in between. For example, you can work for 25 minutes, then stop for a five-minute break, and continue this cycle several times before taking a longer break. Some studies have shown that maintaining intense focus and performance ranges anywhere from 10 to 52 minutes, so you can customize your own Pomodoro cycle to fit your productivity.

4. Create interest when studying:

Spicing things up with how you study can improve your attention and memory. Instead of repeating the same method interminably, set up a reward system for task completion. Use habit-tracker apps such as Habitica or Forest App to gamify your review sessions, so each task checked off your list feels like a quest. These apps are also designed to help you create a new habit system so you can learn better in the future.

5.  Take small breaks:

                                                  Set a timer while studying and avoid looking at the time until it rings. Take a quick break to refocus. You know what works best for you, so you can decide how much time a task requires. A three to five-minute break can be utilized to eat and hydrate. Take a longer break if needed. This helps prevent burnout when you are studying for long hours. It also keeps you focused and motivated.

Pro tip: We recommend using the forest app, as it can help you plant a tree while you set timers.

3. Reward yourself, lots:

 1. Browsing at the bookstore:

                                                                          Reading for pleasure is one of the first things to go when you’re knee-deep in study time. Take back your love of the written word by going to your local bookstore and browsing the shelves for ideas, or buy something that’s been on your radar.

You know yourself and what can motivate you, but the following list offers a few suggestions that might help you complete a task or work consistently (with coffee/tea or loo breaks included) for a couple of hours. Promise yourself the reward and make sure you deliver.

• A relaxing bath with scented bath oil, alternatively, do the washing up with lots of lovely suds and hot water to blow bubbles with as well, if you’re short of time.
• 45 minutes in the pub with friends, back in time to get to bed before 11.00 p.m.
• A really delicious oral indulgence – dark chocolate coated ginger, seaweed peanuts, chewy salami – taking time out to savor whatever you fancy.
• A quick spot of window-shopping nearby in the early evening, when it’s quiet, to look at that great dress, jacket, or pair of shoes.
• Television breaks to catch the news for half an hour or watch a favorite soap.
• 30 minutes to listen to some favorite music – really listen, not as a background to revision.
• 15 minutes to knead dough with your hands, or rub butter and sugar into flour to make breadcrumbs for crumble. (These can be put in the fridge to bake the next day.) It’s very tactile and relaxing.
• Half an hour or so to read a chapter of a thriller or other non-revision reading.
• A foot or shoulder massage to your flatmate and get them to return the favor.
• Time to stroke the cat/dog that lives nearby, or any other furry, accessible creature.
• Ten minutes to stand in front of a window and practice deep breathing, especially on days when you won’t go out till later in the day.
• Listen to ‘A Book at Bedtime’ (on BBC Radio Four) in bed. Being read conjures up feelings of warmth and security in many people.

  4. Schedule your day:

                                                When I was in high school, I was always more motivated to get homework and studying done on days I had practice or a game. On days when I had nothing going on after school, it felt like I had unlimited time to get everything done, so it was easier to put it off.

             Often, the more free time you have, the easier it becomes to waste your time. When you have a lot going on and know you won’t have much time to get your studying done, it forces you to become laser focused. Schedule a specific time in your day when you’ll sit down to study–actually scheduling it on your calendar makes you less likely to put it off because it becomes a concrete task that must get done.

5. Change your Routine of studies:

1.RECORD YOURSELF:

                                                 Sometimes when you read and re-read a paper or a piece of research the information doesn’t always stick in your head right away. Making some quick notes on the topic and then sitting down and trying to explain it out loud, in your own words, can really help you memorise information longer and also help your understanding.

2. TREAT YOUR STUDIES LIKE A 9-5 JOB:

A fantastic tip sent in by Literature graduate Dani (@danidevenney) – Dani says to treat your studying like a 9-5 job, so you don’t feel guilty in the evenings. By implementing a routine, you will help your focus and concentration as you will teach yourself that during these hours you must be doing things relevant to your studies whether it’s revising for an exam, doing required reading or writing up the first draft of an essay.

3. HANDWRITTEN NOTES :

                                                         One of our own MSc Biotechnology students Maitrali (@maitralirelekar) sent us the tip ‘Make your own handwritten notes and go over them 4-5 times before the exam’. Maitrali has a very good point about writing up your study notes by hand instead of by typing. Research has shown that writing down notes during a lecture increases your focus as well as helping forge new ideas and increasing creativity! So, invest in some lovely coloured highlighters or a notebook that you feel happy carrying around and switch to handwritten notes.