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12th Jan 2017

6 tips to help you stop procrastinating and study for your Leaving Cert

JOE

Brought to you by Griffith College.

“I’ve loads of time!”

It’s tempting to kick things down the road when it comes to studying for your Leaving Cert. It all seems very far away and it’s surprisingly easy to find other things to do when you should be hitting the books. Plus the rest of the lads haven’t started either…

Of course, we all know that the exams won’t be long coming around. So how can you stop procrastinating and get down to business?

Create a study space

First things first – build yourself the ultimate study space. It needs to be clean, tidy and comfortable but there’s no need to get carried away.

Don’t use this as an excuse to spend hours rearranging your bedroom! It’s easy to develop a sudden interest in Feng Shui or interior design when the alternative is studying your Modh Coinníollach.

Get your CAO form completed

Filling out your CAO form is one of the most important parts of the Leaving Cert process. Tackling this job early will free you up to focus on studying but that doesn’t mean you have to rush it!

Griffith College offers a great CAO 2017 Toolkit that can help you with course choices, general advice and some tips to make the whole process less daunting.

Get rid of any distractions

Social media is a great way to lose an hour or three when you’re meant to be studying. It’s time to dig deep, swallow down that FOMO and be strong!

Turn your phone on airplane mode, close down any tabs that aren’t study-related and knock off the TV. Still, there’s no need to go cold turkey. Set aside some social media time each day as a reward for all that hard work.

Find a system

Everyone is different so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to studying. Discover what works best for you.

Maybe it’s using stickers or highlighting chunks of texts. It might be making your own notes. It could even be covering the wall in pages like a character from Homeland. When you find something that works, stick with it.

Take breaks

Don’t force yourself to sit in the one spot for hours. You may think you’re killing it but you’ll probably end up taking less in as your concentration starts to dwindle.

Take a short break every hour or when you really need it. Stretch your legs, take a breather or grab a snack. A quick chat to the family or a walk in the garden can keep the cabin fever at bay and help to perk you up.

Don’t panic

It’s OK to freak out a bit when you start studying. Procrastination can often be a symptom of perfectionism.

Focus on making progress instead of trying to be perfect. Break bigger tasks down into smaller tasks and you’ll get closer and closer to your goal. It’s like a marathon – the thought of running 42 kilometres is terrifying but it’s possible when you focus on one step at a time.

Avoid overdosing on caffeine

It might seem like a good idea to lash coffee into you when you’re studying. Surely it will make you more alert and turn you into a studying machine?

The reality is that trebling your daily intake of coffee is more likely to leave you wired and unable to focus on anything other than that uncontrollable shake in your hand.

To find out more about about the Griffith College CAO Toolkit, click here.

Brought to you by Griffith College.