It's that time of year for university students that exams are drawing closer and the books are beckoning. Its a really stressful time, I've done two sets of Christmas exams, and found that it can be really hard to get my nose stuck in the books. So I thought today that I'd write some tips down for those of you suffering through the workload. Now I'm not an expert at this - of course I feel stress and worried and overwhelmed at times too, and the important thing is to know that everyone goes through it too. It's only natural!

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The real key is not to stress out. Easier said than done, right? But finding the right balance between work and down time is the answer to your troubles. I like to try and reward myself at the end of a good day, and give myself breaks during work. Its impossible to work for hours on end, and this is something I've really tried to prove to myself. Trying to focus for hours just leaves me uninterested and distracted. A few solid hours of work is so much more beneficial than a whole day of staring blankly at pages between facebook messages. I find its much easier to get up in the morning and get the work done early. That way, you can carry on till you see fit - and you don't feel rushed to fit in hours at the end of a day. It also lets you have an afternoon off, if you've been productive that morning. But be truthful to yourself. Do you really need another episode of Grey's Anatomy or AHS? Or could you spend that time reading over some notes. One thing that I find myself dreading, but worthwhile in the long run is reading over notes before you go to sleep. One of my teachers at school told me this trick, as it helps you retain the information if its the last thing you see before bed. Therefore, if there's a topic I'm struggling with then I have a read over of it before I go to sleep that night.

It's always good to start early with revision - I know, exam diet is upon us, so this might be too late to get in action. But doing a little and often is really important. I also start with the topics I find interesting and want to write about in my exam. If there's a particular topic that I've enjoyed that semester then I like to start with it, and it helps me get into the revision mood, rather than tackle the harder things first. Once you've done those interesting topics- you'll find you know more than you thought. And believe you me, that is a good feeling!

Revision techniques are so personal - we all are different learners, so find different techniques useful. I find a combination approach is most useful for me. I'm partly an oral learner, so I like to listen to the information. I try and find a youtube video on the topic to listen to, or have sometimes recorded myself speaking my notes, and listened to it on repeat. Just like learning song lyrics right?
I also like repetition. Therefore I read and read and read. Rewriting notes isn't hugely helpful for me, but reading over flashcards really is. Flashcards are my life saver. Testing myself really is my most effective way of learning, so whether its me writing questions on one side and the answer on the other to test myself on the bus / walk / in bed, or if I get my family to test me, I find that this is the best way to learn. Then you know if you really do know the material, and don't just 'know' it because you read it.

My exams are formatted as a series of essays or short essays. Therefore, it can be really helpful to write out some essay plans. As my luck has it, I don't think I've ever managed to have an exam with the exact question I planned for, but having sample answers prepared that can be adapted can really help. If you recognise a question or some of the knowledge needed for a particular question, then its easy to reel out an answer in no time at all. And this gives you extra time to focus on maybe a weaker question that you're less confident with.

Overall, just stay calm. Don't stress out because then you can't do any work and its useless. So have a plan in mind and try to stick to it. I hope this helps as much as possible for those of you with exams.
And Good Luck!

Check out my other Blogmas posts:
Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs

Love,
Emily
xxx

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As this weeks 'Happier and Healthier' post, I thought I'd talk about the routines I've in placed in my week.

One of the best things I've found to help with the running of my week is getting into a routine. Ever feel like you've got so much on your plate, not enough time to deal with it all and no idea where to start? That's how a lot of my days and weeks go, and it leaves me stressed out, flustered and quite often a little emotional.



To try and combat the stress, I've been trying my hand at a bit of time management. Now I wouldn't say I'm as bad as some uni students and I have always  woken up at a reasonable time, but I've tried to become somewhat more organised.

My alarm is now set for 8 o'clock every morning. Okay that's not the best time, and at school I was used to getting up at 7, but I'd say that 8 is alright to start off with. This means I have plenty of time to waken up, get ready and feel ready for the day. I also have been going to bed by 10.30. Now I know this is lame, but it helps me a lot. I get a full night's sleep so that I feel fairly refreshed for the day ahead. Just being in this routine has got me into a good sleeping schedule so I'm getting enough sleep.

Day wise, I like to have a sort of timetable in mind when I'm setting to work. I like to have a rough idea of what work I have to do and how much I want to have completed by the end of the day. This has helped me become a lot more productive, and stay on track makes me feel happy at the end of the day. Also, I'm a lot less stressed if I have a nice little schedule to keep to, which helps me get through all the work set. A tip my mum has always said is to "chunk things down". Looking at the big picture and seeing the deadlines draw nearer is quite frightening. Breaking it down in manageable pieces helps to get through the work without becoming overwhelmed. And having a little schedule really helps to get through it.

Other then these little routines, I also have set aside a time each week to get across to the gym and have a workout. This is great to fit into my week, as the exercise really helps me feel better, and its great to relieve a bit of tension and stress by running it out.

Do you have a routine that you follow each week? Share how you cope with stress / deadlines, and any schedules that you feel help your week down in the comments or over on twitter. I'd love to know if you have suggestions!

Love,
Emily
xxx

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Its somewhat ironic that after I post about balancing blogging and university, my life becomes even more hectic, and I don't have the time to get my mind together let alone write a sentence.

So this post is a little catch up.. With a hot chocolate in my hand, lights out and candles lit, and Love Actually on in the background, I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about what's been keeping me away from my computer and why I haven't had the chance to blog in over a week. And I really DO apologise for that!

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After my post last Monday, my week started to revolve around uni work and going home. On Thursday night I made the three hour trip back up to Aberdeen to visit my family (yet again) and planned to upload a couple of posts when I was there. But as per usual, I ended up being more exhausted from that break than I am when I'm at uni. Dog walks, late night chats with the fam and early mornings tire me out and leave me with little energy to do anything else.

On Sunday I was then struck down with illness... Okay that may be over the top, but I contracted a 24 hour bug, exactly what I didn't need! This resulted in me being sick on the train ride back to Edinburgh that night (and I'll spare you the gross details, but lets just say I spent a lot of time apologising to the train staff and in the toilet). SO Monday resulted in me going to university with no make up on and feeling like death for the whole day.

BUT luckily I was feeling better by night time and met with my school chums and had a lovely dinner and night out with them. Let's just say that this resulted in me feeling unwell for the rest of Tuesday and NOT because of the bug. I did however manage to make it along to Zomato's Pub Quiz. Zomato is a super handy website and app that have a list of all the restaurants in Edinburgh (and many many other places) with reviews, photos and menus for them all. Although I was a little apprehensive going along when I knew no-one there, I ended up having a great time and met some really lovely people who I hope to see again soon.

While juggling these things the last few days, I've also had to try and write an essay that I left WAY too late to start in the first place, and managed to pick the most vague and confusing question ever! But with that now done and awaiting to be handed in tomorrow morning.

SO what's next?

Well, I'm getting organised! I'm going to be busy over this weekend starting some essays that are due in a few weeks but also writing posts so that a week doesn't pass without a post again. I've got a teen blog series post to catch up on, a little photo post from the beach last week, and some plans for this weekend and next week to write about too.

So I apologise again for being so inactive this last week, and I hope you can forgive me!
Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin so that you see when I post.

Love,
Emily
xxx

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